Promises Kept
by Gelphie44
Summary: What if Fiyero had gotten Glinda pregnant before he ran off with Elphaba? What if Elphaba died before Glinda had the chance to tell her. What would happen if Elphaba finally found out years later? Pairings: Starts out Fiyeraba and leads into Gelphie
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It had been 3 years since the supposed melting of the Wicked Witch of the West. Elphaba sat in the tallest tower of Kiamo Ko waiting for Fiyero to return from his errands.

It was easier for him to run errands now that Elphaba had found a way to change him back into his human form two years prior. Everyone had long thought Fiyero Tiggular to be dead and so no one recognized him when he went out. It was a lot easier for him to go run errands than it was for Elphaba. There was no other person in all of Oz who had skin as green as the Emerald City itself.

Elphaba sat looking out of the window with the same expression that had plagued her face for the past 3 years, ever since that fateful day where she and Glinda had been separated.

Things between her and Fiyero had diminished somewhat after he had returned to his human form. Elphaba didn't really think anything of it, but Fiyero noticed the change in their relationship right off the bat. Elphaba had become more distant and moodified. Fiyero thought that if he were human again that all their problems would be solved, in reality it just seemed to make them worse.

The only thought that had been on Elphaba's mind lately was starting a family. Elphaba thought that if she could have a baby of her own then all her unfinished business wouldn't matter anymore. She, Fiyero, and the new baby would live happily ever after. She needed to live happily ever after.

A couple of years ago she had heard news that Glinda had married and was living a happy life. This saddened her a little as she thought that the life she was living was one without her. Elphaba had never had the courage to tell the blonde, but she had loved her since she first layed eyes on her.

None of it seemed to matter anymore however. She was with Fiyero. Fiyero had risked his life for her and she loved him for that.

She decided to tell him tonight that she wished to start trying for a baby. She knew that she would never truly be happy with Fiyero, but perhaps if she had someone to love other than him she could be. She didn't love Fiyero anymore. That stopped as soon as he had returned to his human form. She no longer felt required to love him. Before when he was a scarecrow she had felt obligated to stay with him. He was that way because of her.

Elphaba continued to stare out the window when she saw a man enter the front gate. It was Fiyero. Elphaba's heart sped up as she thought about what she was going to say to him. She really wanted a child and what if he denied her? What would she do then? It's not like she could just dump him and go out to the singles bar and look for someone new.

Fiyero made his way up to the tallest tower knowing that that is where Elphaba would be. She had been spending more time that usual up in that room lately. It was the room where she had been 'melted' all those years ago.

"Can I come in?" Fiyero opened the door and looked over towards the window where Elphaba was. Elphaba looked up from the window and smiled at Fiyero.

"I missed you, and of course you can." Elphaba smiled as Fiyero came in and took a seat next to her.

"I missed you too Fae." Fiyero honestly said and then kissed the green woman. "And hey I have some interesting news." At this Elphaba arched an eyebrow. She was never one for gossip as Shiz but since she had been in near solitude for the past three years she relished in it.

"What?" She curiously asked. He had peeked her interest. Usually he did not gossip to her unless it was something really good.

"It's about Glinda." Fiyero teased the green girl knowing that any news of Glinda was of utmost importance. Elphaba heard the name Glinda and could barely contain herself. She always loved hearing news of the blonde. She hadn't heard anything about her in awhile.

"Fiyero stop messing with me." Elphaba was growing irritated at this game of cat and mouse. "What is it?"

"She is divorced." Fiyero spat out. Elphaba looked on in shock and her jaw dropped halfway to the floor.

"How do you know? Where did you hear that?" Elphaba spoke a mile a minute. It took Fiyero a little while to comprehend what the green girl had just asked him.

"I heard it from the baker. We go to the same one and she apparently had just been in there a few moments before I got there. Thank Oz I didn't run into her." Elphaba was even more shocked. Fiyero had been so close to seeing the blonde. Seeing those curls bounce. Seeing her giggly smile. Seeing her perfect form. She seethed with jealousy as Fiyero continued.

"Yeah apparently her and her husband split a little while ago. About a year or so I think the baker said." Fiyero finished his gossip. Elphaba was still lost in her own thoughts.

What did this mean for her now? Glinda was a free woman. Elphaba quickly stopped her thoughts from taking over her emotions. Yes Glinda may be a free women now but Elphaba was not. She was not anywhere close to being free. Elphaba just had to face the facts that the life she was living right now was the life that she was going to continue to live. There was no changing it. However much she wanted to, there was no way that she could.

"Fae?" Fiyero looked questioningly into the eyes of the green women. Elphaba looked up from her trance and met Fiyero's eyes.

"Yes?" Elphaba questioned him although she knew what he was about to ask her. He was going to ask if she was all right. Usually after hearing any news of Glinda she needed a moment to sort through her thoughts.

"This doesn't change anything for us you know." Fiyero looked into Elphaba's eyes. This was not the response she had been expecting. She looked questioningly into his eyes asking him to continue.

"Don't feel like you owe it to her to make sure she is all right. I know you worry about her. And according to the baker she has been divorced a year now. I'm sure she has moved on quite nicely." Fiyero tried to answer the question he knew Elphaba would pose.

Elphaba knew Fiyero was right. There was nothing that she could do to help the blonde. Glinda didn't even know that she was alive. Elphaba wished Glinda could know but Fiyero said that that just simply couldn't be the case.

Elphaba decided to take this information and store it to sort through later. She still had something she needed to talk to Fiyero about. The news she had received tonight had not changed her mind. She still wanted a baby. Maybe not with Fiyero, but she had to take what she could get.

"Hey Fiyero I need to talk to you. It's something really important." Elphaba nervously shifted in her seat next to Fiyero. Fiyero still thought she was talking about the conversation about Glinda.

"Look Fae, I told you that Glinda can't know about us being alive." Fiyero told Elphaba. He hated having to tell her this over and over. It seemed every week that he had to say the same thing to her.

Elphaba was a little surprised. She had not even mentioned wanting to tell Glinda anything. She shrugged it off and figured now was not the time to talk about it.

"No Fiyero that's not what I was going to say. This is more important actually." Elphaba lied. Nothing was more important than Glinda.

Fiyero hesitated a little. What could be more important? Had he done something wrong? Was she getting sick of him? Before he could over think anything Elphaba found her voice.

"I want to start a family Fiyero." She placed her hand on his arm and looked up into his eyes to gauge a reaction.

Fiyero was confused at first. They were already a family, Elphaba and him.

"I don't know what you mean Fae. We are already a family just the two of us." Fiyero asked Elphaba. He was making it difficult for the green woman.

"I know, but I want it to be the three of us." As she said this Fiyero finally came into understanding. He jumped from his spot on the bed and looked down at Elphaba.

"Oh sweet lurline. Are you saying you're pregnant?" Fiyero's facial features were impassive but his voice betrayed him. It had risen an octive higher than it usually was.

Elphaba seemed almost annoyed at this outburst. Of course she wasn't pregnant. They had not had sex together in quite some time.

"Sit down Fiyero." Fiyero obliged and sat down once again before Elphaba could continue. "I am not pregnant…but I wish to get pregnant." Fiyero's eyebrows arched up in realization.

"You want a baby?" He asked to make one hundred percent sure that that is what she was saying.

"Yes." She nodded to him. "I want someone who will be just ours. I want someone to take care of while you are out running errands. I want someone to call me mama. I want someone to teach how to read and you can teach how to socialize."

Elphaba looked up expectantly at Fiyero. She had just let go what had been on her mind for the past few months. She was not sure what would happen if Fiyero denied her.

Fiyero just smiled down at Elphaba and kissed the top of her head. Elphaba felt strangely comforted. More so than she had felt in awhile.

"Well if my girl wants a baby than that is what she shall have." Fiyero whispered into her ear. Elphaba was elated. She was beyond words. The thing she had wanted for so long was about to come true.

She smiled back at Fiyero and threw her arms around him.

"Thank you so much! I love you!" She hugged him harder until he finally was gasping for air. Elphaba laughed and let go of him.

"Well when do you want to start making the baby?" Fiyero suggestively winked at Elphaba. Elphaba blushed. She had never been real good at anything relating to physical closeness, sex especially.

"I thought as soon as possible was the best." She shyly replied. Truth was she was not looking forward to the sex all that much. She just knew that it was necessary to have a baby. She hoped that it would only take a few tries before she would become pregnant. She hoped she was one of those girls that get pregnant their first time having unprotected sex. Her and Fiyero had always used protection in the past.

Fiyero seemed even more fueled by the idea of having a baby when Elphaba said she wanted to start trying right away. He was not as excited about the baby as Elphaba was. He was more excited about finally being close to Elphaba again. He couldn't remember the last time they had been intimate with each other. He had longed for so long to touch her, hold her, make love to her.

That night Elphaba and Fiyero made love for about an hour. It wasn't as pleasurable as it used to be for either participant. Elphaba had been more or less on a mission. Fiyero had been the exact opposite. He wanted to make everything last longer and draw everything out. Elphaba wanted him to finish as quickly as he could.

As Fiyero finally crawled off top of Elphaba and lay next to her Elphaba could not have been more pleased. She had not enjoyed sex with Fiyero in a long time. The last few times they had slept together, Elphaba's mind wandered off to thoughts that it was Glinda on top of her. She had imagined Glinda caressing her body. It was only when she felt the rough hands of Fiyero that she remembered whom she was really there with.

Elphaba quickly fell asleep from exhaustion praying that she wouldn't have to endure much more of this. She could hide her feelings pretty easily but it was becoming more and more diffidult with each day that passed.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It had been nearly four months since Fiyero and Elphaba had started trying to have a baby. The outlook was bleak. Elphaba was growing tired of Fiyero trying to sensualize sex. Fiyero was tired of Elphaba trying to speed everything up. Making love between the two of them turned into a chore more than enjoyment. They would have to fit it in between each other's schedules. Elphaba was not really busy but Fiyero had become increasingly so. He would vanish for hours at a time and not tell Elphaba where he was going.

It was another one of those days where Fiyero had vanished around mid-morning. Elphaba would have cared less had it not been for the fact that she was ovulating today and needed Fiyero to perform. She was just about to give up when she heard footsteps echo throughout the great hall.

Elphaba got up from her chair and sat her book down on the counter. She then went towards the entryway to make sure it was Fiyero who had come in.

When she reached the banister she peered down and sure enough it was Fiyero. He was walking a bit funny and Elphaba could tell he was drunk. Frustrated, she went to help him walk up the stairs.

"Where have you been Fiyero?" she scolded him as she grabbed onto his left arm to keep him steady. Fiyero appreciated the help up but was unappreciative of her tone with him. Why was everything always his fault? So what if he wanted to go out and have a couple of ales.

"None of your business." Fiyero replied back. Elphaba then let go of Fiyero's arm and let him stumble a couple paces before he fell to the ground with a thud. Seeing that Fiyero was temporarily occupied Elphaba took the chance to go over towards him and ask again.

"It is my business. Where were you?" Elphaba was furious with Fiyero. She told him the day before that she needed him to stay there for the next day. He had failed to do that.

"What's it matter to you? You were just going to use me for sex." The words stung at Elphaba because as much as she hated to admit it they were true. She hadn't cared for where Fiyero was and if he was hurt or not. She only cared about one thing at this moment, a baby.

She had decided about a month ago that once she got pregnant she would break up with Fiyero. She needed someone to love, but with a baby on the way then there would be no use for Fiyero. She could love the baby and in time her child would love her. The child would not need a father figure. Especially one like Fiyero.

Elphaba finally managed an answer.

"It does matter to me Fiyero, and it matters to our potential child too. And I am not using you for sex." She lied to him. He could see right through her. He didn't care what he said to her anymore. He was sick of all her drama.

"Bull shit Fae! The only time we have sex is when you know you will get pregnant. We are on a schedule for Oz sake! I should be able to have sex with my girlfriend when I want to, not when it is convenient for you!" Fiyero yelled at the green women who was now hovering over him.

"Well maybe we wouldn't have to have a schedule if you would just do your damn job! It's not hard to get someone pregnant you know! So unless you are shooting blanks than I don't see what the problem is." Elphaba was seething with anger. Her hands had formed into a fist. They hung at her side shaking violently. It took all her willpower not to just knock him upside the head.

Fiyero laughed at what Elphaba had just said. He found it amusing that she thought he was the problem.

"I am perfectly capable of producing a child Elphaba." He corrected her.

Elphaba was too furious to stop herself from doing something she regretted. She wound back her fist that had been clinched and hit him right in the stomach. He yelped in pain as he grabbed at his stomach.

The moment Elphaba had hit Fiyero she suddenly regretted it. As Fiyero's face showed pain Elphaba's lightened and she went over to where he was now and kneeled down next to him.

"Oh sweet Oz Fiyero, I'm so sorry!" she tried to apologize. She reached out a hand to touch his face. He only backed away from her and mumbled something incoherent.

"What was that?" she asked him to repeat what he had just muttered.

"I said that you are crazy!" He yelled the word crazy. Elphaba deserved being called crazy and so she did nothing more to Fiyero. She got up and walked in the direction of the stairwell. When she got to the stairs she looked back and stared at Fiyero who was carefully trying to stand now.

"I didn't mean to hurt you Fiyero, I really am sorry. When you are up to it we need to talk." With that said Elphaba ascended up the staircase towards the tallest tower. She figured when Fiyero wanted to talk that that was the first place he would look.

Two hours passed before Fiyero finally made it up to the tower. He was still a little inebriated from before but looked to be in better control of himself. He knocked at the doorway and waited for Elphaba to look up.

When Elphaba heard a knock she looked up from the book she had been reading.

"Hey." She smiled meekly. Fiyero took this as an invitation to come in. He sat on the opposite end of the bed making sure to keep a safe distance from himself and the green woman.

Fiyero was the first to speak.

"Fae, things got out of hand really fast down there and I'm sorry for that. I should have never accused you of those things." He apologized. Elphaba was grateful that he was talking to her still. She reached out and touched his hand.

"I'm sorry too Fiyero. I never meant to hurt you. Honestly. I lost my temper." Elphaba tried to validate her reasons for hitting him.

"It's okay, I know your temper all too well," he smiled. "It's one of the things I fell in love with about you. Your passion for things, and yes, your temper."

Elphaba was feeling a little more at ease but knew they had a lot of items to discuss. She chose the hardest one to ask first.

"Fiyero…I don't mean to offend you or anything, I really don't…but how do you know that you aren't just shooting off blanks." Fiyero was a little taken back. He did not expect her to repeat this question after what had happened downstairs a few hours earlier.

Fiyero was not sure whether or not he should tell the real reason he knew he wasn't just shooting blanks to the green woman next to him. He could have lied and told her that he was tested once and then that would be the end of that discussion. He decided she deserved to know the truth though. He had kept it hidden long enough.

"You aren't going to like the answer." He warned her.

"Try me." She challenged.

He took a deep breath before bracing herself for her reaction.

"I know because I have a child."

Elphaba was confused at first. Surely Fiyero could not have a child. He had only ever been with one other girl for as far as she knew. That other girl had been Glinda. Elphaba was aware that Glinda and Fiyero had sex once but there was no way that Glinda was pregnant. Glinda would have told her. Wouldn't she have?

"With who?" she hoped he would say that he cheated on her, she hoped that he would say he was just pulling a practical joke, she hoped for anything but the word Glinda.

"Is it really relevant? All you need to know is that I am not the one unable to get you pregnant." He tried to steer the conversation away from him. He had made a mistake in telling the green woman that he had another child, a child for which he had only seen once on accident. He did not know anything about his child except that it was a girl.

"Of course it matters." Elphaba needed to know. She needed to get rid of her fear. Fiyero looked away before speaking.

"Glinda." He whispered.

Elphaba would not have been able to hear if she had not had her ears pinned to his voice. As soon as the word Glinda had left his mouth Elphaba slapped him across the face.

"How dare you have a kid with Glinda and keep that a secret from me!" she stormed. She was beyond furious, beyond angry, beyond words. "Glinda was my best friend and you left her to raise a child on her own!" Elphaba now began to twitch and pace around the room.

"When did you find out?" Elphaba needed to know. Fiyero stopped rubbing his sore cheek and looked towards Elphaba.

"The day of out engagement party." Elphaba was shocked. Sure she had been on the lam but Glinda still could have let her know. Elphaba would not allow herself to become with the blonde. She wouldn't have been in that situation if Fiyero had been a descent man.

"So you left her during your engagement party after she told you she was pregnant?" Elphaba yelled at Fiyero. "You knew she was pregnant before you ever even went to me? What were you going to do if I ever got pregnant? Leave?"

Elphaba couldn't take it anymore. She was furious with Fiyero. No amount of explaining he could do could make what he did all right. She had lost her respect for him.

"Get out! Get out right now and don't you ever come back!" she pointed towards the door with a shaky finger.

Fiyero took no time in hesitating and quickly left the room. He made his way down the stairs and out the front door in record time.

Elphaba was left to her thoughts in that room in the tallest tower.

"How could they do that to me?" she yelled aloud to no one but herself. She needed to get everything out of the way. "Oh sweet Oz Glinda, I'm so sorry you have been all alone in this."

Elphaba continued to pace around until she calmed down a little bit. She went to sit in her chair by the fire when a memory struck her. She was transported back to the week before her and Glinda had left for the Emerald city.

Elphaba looked on as a younger version of herself sat in her bed practicing spells for her meeting with the wizard. The younger Elphaba was about to finish one of her chants when in walked Glinda.

Present day Elphaba looked over at Glinda. She was even more beautiful that Elphaba remembered. It was seeing her there in that dress that the present day Elphaba remembered what exactly took place on that exact day.

"Oh sweet Oz." she said aloud as she watched the conversation transpire between the two.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_Three and a half years ago_

_Shiz University…_

Elphaba sat on her bed in her dorm room at Shiz. She had been practicing spells for nearly an hour now waiting for her blonde roommate to return. The green woman glanced up at the clock and saw that the time read eleven-thirty PM. Galinda was late. Curfew began at ten-thirty. Usually this wouldn't have worried Elphaba as much because she knew how Galinda could forget things when around her friends. That's just it though, she wasn't around her friends that night, she had gone on a date with Fiyero.

"Come on Galinda." Elphaba willed the door to open. She continued to practice her spells as another half hour passed. When Elphaba was about to give up she heard the door slowly open and in walked Galinda.

Galinda was wearing a yellow sundress that she had bought specially for her date with Fiyero. Only when Elphaba looked up to see Galinda in her dress she noticed that it was a little torn up. The bow that had been on the waistband was now missing and one of the straps was hanging by a thread. Concern filled Elphaba's eyes are she met her roommates gaze.

"Galinda what in Oz happened to you?" Elphaba got up off her bed and went over to where her roommate stood. As she got closer to the blonde she noticed her face was stained with tears. Not even expecting an answer now she flung her arms around the girl.

Galinda was a little taken back at this action. Elphaba was hardly ever physical with anyone and hated coddling and cuddling. Galinda gave in to the strong arms that embraced her and hugged back. The events of the night were still all swimming around in her brain.

Galinda was the first to pull away. She needed to talk to Elphaba about something. The concern she saw in Elphaba's face was even more endearing and she fought to find words.

"Elphie I messed up." The blonde bit her bottom lip to keep it from trembling anymore. Elphaba noticed this and became even more concerned with Galinda's welfare.

"What is it my sweet?" Elphaba persuaded the girl to go on. She was calm on the outside but inside she was a mess.

"I…I…" Galinda began crying again and Elphaba embraced the girl once again.

"Whatever it is you can tell me Galinda." Elphaba comforted her until she found her strength to speak once again.

"I didn't mean for it to happen. It just did." Galinda went over to sit on Elphaba's bed. She placed her head between her hands and started rocking ever so slightly. Elphaba became extremely concerned. What was it that her roommate accidentally did?

"For what to happen Galinda?" Elphaba needed for Galinda to continue. She couldn't just leave her with that and expect the green woman to understand.

"I was out with Fiyero and it just went too far." Galinda rocked back and forth at a faster speed. Elphaba was still a little confused.

"Did he hurt you?" The green woman was ready to go bust down his door and murder him if he had.

"Not really, no. It was my fault." Galinda looked up from her hands and into Elphaba's eyes. Elphaba could see how troubled the blonde was. Whatever it was must have been huge.

"I thought I wanted it but I didn't. It was too late to stop it." Elphaba grew even more frustrated as the blonde became even more vague than she was before.

"Galinda you're not making any sense here sweetie. Wanted what?" Galinda didn't know how to phrase it. She hardly had anytime to comprehend the events of that night by herself, much less express it to someone else.

"We had sex." She squeaked out. It was enough for Elphaba to hear though. Her eyes went wide in realization. Galinda was no longer pure anymore. She had given herself to someone else. This hurt Elphaba and she was not exactly sure why.

Elphaba shoved those feelings of her own aside and focused on the blonde. Her feelings were the only ones that mattered. First before she could comfort the blonde anymore however she had to know one thing.

"He didn't force you did he?" Elphaba asked Galinda. Galinda shook her head no in response. Elphaba was relieved but at the same time wasn't. She was glad Galinda had not been raped but at the same time that would have been an excuse to why she had given herself away.

"Elphie I swear I never meant for it to happen. Things just got out of hand and now I'm worried." Galinda began to cry again.

"Worried about what my sweet?" Elphaba lifted her hand to brush the tears from Galinda's face. Galinda was hurting too much to care if it stung Elphaba or not. She needed the green girls tender touch.

"Everything went so fast. We didn't have time to use protection." Galinda spat out before she knew what she was saying. She clamped a hand over her mouth and horror entered her eyes. It was a moment before her hand removed from its place around her mouth and rested back in her lap.

"Oh Elphie what if I get pregnant? I'm too young to be pregnant! I didn't even enjoy it! It shouldn't count!" Galinda muttered a mile a minute.

Elphaba had still been in shock to say anything for a little while. Just mere hours ago she was wishing Galinda good luck on her date with Fiyero. Now she was sitting on her bed with her best friend hearing of her horrible night.

"Oh Elphie please say something." Galinda coaxed the green woman out of her mental coma. Elphaba just looked upon Galinda and a feeling of shame came across her. She felt disappointed in Galinda. She couldn't pinpoint why exactly but she knew she couldn't let it show. Putting on her bravest face she took Galinda's hands into her own and began to stroke the back of them. This gentle caress seemed to center the blonde and she focused on Elphaba and her touch.

"Galinda I'm not really sure what to say in these situations. My mother was never around to give me sex ed. 101. I'm not even sure how everything down there works!" Galinda's frown turned into a little smile. Elphaba continued. "I'm sorry your first time wasn't everything you hoped it would be. I truly am. You deserve so much more than you received tonight." Elphaba stopped to give the blonde girl a hug. She was reluctant to pull away but knew that she had to to continue her speech. "About the pregnancy thing, we will have to wait and see. I doubt you can get pregnant on your first go at sex." Elphaba lied. She knew that you were just as likely as any other time but she felt the need to lie to protect the blonde. Hopefully Galinda would believe her lie and feel a little better. It seemed to work a little bit as Elphaba felt the grip Galinda had on her arm decrease just a little. Elphaba smiled and continued.

"Galinda I know that your virginity is something you can never get back," Galinda frowned. "But I am willing to bet that after your first time sex won't be as bad for you. It won't be as scary, as unfamiliar, as intimidating, and you have learned from this." Galinda chuckled a little. Only Elphaba would think of losing your virginity as a learning experience.

Galinda felt oddly better after talking with the green woman. She still had her fears that couldn't be contained though.

"But Elphie…what if I am pregnant?" Galinda mused. Elphaba's brow furrowed in concentration as she came up with an appropriate response.

"Well if you were pregnant, which I doubt you are, then I would embrace you and whoever you welcome into this world. I would stand by your side and help you raise your child. I'd be the best damn green aunt out there." Elphaba smiled. Galinda laughed and this and looked dreamily into Elphie's eyes.

"You'd be the only green aunt Elphie...but do you really mean that?" Galinda needed to make sure.

"Of course my sweet." She leant over and kissed Galinda's temple and then sat back down into place. "I already have to deal with you, how worse could one more child be?" Elphaba prodded at the blonde. Galinda took the bait.

"Hey!" she pouted and then pushed Elphaba over so she fell onto her back. Galinda got up above Elphaba and straddled her hips. "I am not a child!" She then began to tickle Elphaba in the side and the green girl tried to get out from under the blonde.

"Yes you are!" Elphaba laughed. This only added more ammunition for the blonde and she continued to grab at Elphaba's sides until the green girl could no longer breath from laughing so hard. Galinda stopped her movements but did not move from her spot atop Elphaba. Elphaba stared up into the piercing blue eyes that stared down at her. It was then that she noticed the compromising position the two of them were in. Any on lookers might get the wrong idea.

Galinda paused for a little longer before she timidly asked Elphaba a question.

"Do you promise?" Elphaba tilted her head to the side and was a little confused.

"Promise what my sweet?" Elphaba tried to shift out from under the blonde but found it harder than she thought.

"Promise to stay by my side if I am pregnant?" Galinda needed an answer. She wanted Elphaba there if she ever had a child. She was unsure why exactly. She knew Fiyero would be a perfect gentleman and probably a great father but she needed Elphaba too.

Elphaba smiled back up into the eyes of the blonde, her own brown eyes twinkling. It had meant so much to her that Galinda had wanted her to be a part in her life and possibly in the life of someone else.

"I Promise." She simply stated. Galinda smiled at this and leaned down to hug the girl underneath her.

It took a few minutes and a couple of maneuvers before Galinda was back on her feet and Elphaba was sitting on her bed flushed.

"I'm going to take a bath now." Galinda motioned towards the bathroom with her hand and was off.

Elphaba was left sitting on her bed to sort through her emotions.

**XXX**

_Present Day_

_Kiamo Ko…_

Elphaba was sitting in her chair in front of her fire. She had tears in her eyes as she remembered back to that day that she had promised Galinda she would stay by her side. Had she known that Galinda had been pregnant she would have never stayed hidden from her. She would have found some other way to defeat the Wizard.

Elphaba sat for a good hour before coming to a conclusion. She needed to keep her promise to Galinda. She needed to help her raise her child.

If the blonde girl would let her.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing. The idea for this story actually came to me in a dream...weird I know. I hope you all are enjoying this and I will continue to update as much as my computer lets me, haha.**

**Chapter 4**

Elphaba was not exactly sure how she would get to Glinda. Her palace in the Emerald City was heavily guarded. One could never take too many precautionary steps when it came to Glinda the Good.

Elphaba had ridden all night to the Emerald City in the cloak of darkness. It was a long way from her castle of Kiamo Ko to Glinda's house. The sun was just starting to rise when her journey was finally over.

Elphaba hopped off her broom and hid in a nearby bush. She knew she would have to learn the guard's patterns before she could attempt anything. She had to calculate to the second when they went on break and when they returned. After three hours of doing this Elphaba grew very tired. She hadn't slept the night before for she had been traveling.

Against her will her eyes fluttered closed and she drifted off. She was not sure how long she had been asleep in that bush when she woke to the sounds of laughter. Elphaba was still a little dazed as she looked up over the hedge and saw Glinda and her daughter playing on a swing set nearby.

"Oh sweet Oz." The green girl whispered. The blonde was even more gorgeous than Elphaba remembered: her long golden locks falling over her back, her pale luminescent skin, and her giggle. Oh sweet Lurline that giggle. It was enough to drive the green witch crazy with desire. She wanted to come out from the bush and go to the blonde. She wanted to embrace her with all the strength she had and never let go. She wanted to tell Glinda how she loved her and how she had loved her all those years. She wanted so much.

Elphaba was pained by desire when she finally heard another giggle, this time coming from the little girl on the swing. Elphaba assumed it to be Glinda's daughter.

"Oh Glinda if I had known…" she trailed off as she was mesmerized by the little girls voice. She sounded like her mother. She had that same joyous attitude that was magnetic. She looked uncannily like her mother too. Although Elphaba figured her to be around the age of two or so she was a little short for her age. She had curly hair just like her mothers. The only difference between the two was the shade. The little girls was a sandy brown color.

Elphaba was too far away to get a good look at the little girls face since she was turned with her back towards her. Elphaba figured she probably had blue eyes though since Fiyero's and Glinda's were both blue.

Elphaba's face suddenly went from soft to harsh as she thought about Fiyero. How could her leave Glinda to raise this beautiful girl on her own?

Elphaba was too lost in concentration to notice that the little girl was no longer on the swing. Glinda was now in her place and swinging herself. She was facing towards Elphaba and so the green girl could get a good look at her.

She looked sad and older than she was for her age. Elphaba knew that these past few years had been hard on her. Stress was evident on the blonde's face. Elphaba still thought she looked beautiful though.

Elphaba was too lost in her beautiful face that she didn't hear the footsteps coming towards her.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around in horror. She hadn't come all this way to get caught.

Her relief dissipated as Glinda's daughter stood behind her. Elphaba had nothing to fear from a two year old.

"Hi." The little girl managed to get out. Elphaba looked at the girl. She did look exactly just like Glinda from close up too. Her eyes had been blue, as Elphaba had guessed. They were not the crystal blue that Glinda had though, they were more like Fiyero's, a darker blue. The thought momentarily made Elphaba mad.

"Hi." Elphaba managed a response. The little girl giggled.

"Your green." She stated. It wasn't a question. The little girl then touched Elphaba's face. "Does it come off?" She tried to rub the green off the woman's face.

Elphaba was a little taken aback at this action. Hadn't Glinda ever taught her daughter not to talk to strangers? Especially green creepy ones hiding in bushes.

"No it doesn't come off." Elphaba was a little agitated. It had been years since someone had even commented on her skin color. She was unused to this much attention, especially from the love of her life's daughter.

"Oh." The little girl seemed disappointed and let her hand fall limp at her side.

Elphaba regarded the girl carefully. She didn't seem shocked at Elphaba's appearance, just curious. She was about to say something to the little girl when she heard Glinda call out.

"Ella! Where are you Ella?" Galinda called out for her daughter who Elphaba now knew was named Ella.

The little girl looked towards the voice of her mom and then back towards Elphaba. Only when the little girl looked back nothing was there except the bush. The green woman she had been talking to had vanished.

"Ella Rosalie Upland, if you don't come out this instant then no dessert for you tonight!" Glinda's voice rose. She knew if she threatened her daughter with no dessert she would come out in an instant.

Ella took one last look towards where Elphaba had been and left her spot in the bushes. Glinda caught sight of her daughter and gave a grateful sigh.

"Ella sweetheart where have you been? Mommy has been calling you for awhile now." Glinda picked up her daughter and walked in the direction of the palace.

"There was a person." The two year old managed to get out. Glinda just nodded her head and allowed her daughter to continue. Ella usually made up stories of grandeur.

"She was in the bushes mommy. Why was she in the bushes?" Ella asked her mother. Glinda played along.

"I don't know sweetheart. Maybe she lived in the bushes." Ella's eyes opened wide.

"Really?" she asked. Glinda just laughed at her daughter's excitement and continued this little charade.

"Yep." Glinda replied to her daughter.

They were now back inside the palace and in Ella's room. It was decorated in all pink, just like her mothers had been when she was Ella's age.

Glinda placed Ella down on her bed and sat beside her to tuck her in.

"You've had a tiring adventure it seems sweetheart." Ella only looked back up to her mother and nodded her head in approval. "It's time for you to take a nap."

Glinda finished tucking Ella in and got up from bed. She was about to turn the light off in her room when she heard her daughter ask her a question.

"Hey mommy?" Ella asked timidly. She wasn't sure if she should tell her mother everything about her experience with the green women.

"Yes sweetheart?" Glinda turned around to see Ella now sitting back up in bed.

"Does everyone who lives in bushes turn green?" Glinda was confused at this statement. Ella saw her confused look and continued.

"The woman, you said she lived in the bush." Ella confirmed with her mother that that was what she had said. Glinda nodded and Ella continued. "Well do all people who live in the bushes turn green?"

Glinda was still a little frustrated at her daughter for not being clear but she pretended to understand.

"Of course all people who live in bushes aren't green." Glinda knew that there was only one girl she had ever known to be green and that girl had died before Ella was even born.

"Oh." Ella seemed disappointed. "Then why was that girl green?"

Glinda's eyes opened wide. Had her daughter just said she had seen a green woman? She needed her to elaborate.

"What do you mean sweetheart?" She went back into the room and sat back on her daughter's bed.

"The lady in the bushes, she was green." Ella confirmed. Glinda had never spoken to Ella about Elphaba before. She was not sure where she would get this crazy idea of a green woman unless…no. Glinda wouldn't let herself think that Elphaba was miraculously alive. She was there when Elphaba had been killed. She saw her dissolve into nothing.

"Sweetheart this is really important to mommy. Can you describe this woman to me?" Glinda needed to know. Her thoughts were going every which way.

"Umm..." the little girl tried to remember. "She had a cloak on so I couldn't see really."

Glinda was disappointed. She had hoped her daughter would remember more than that. The disappointment showed on her face and Ella noticed it. She was smart for a two year old. She picked up on emotions easily.

"Oh mommy, don't be sad. I'm sorry I don't remember her." Ella was sad she couldn't provide her mother with more information about this mysterious woman.

"It's okay sweetheart." Glinda kissed the top of Ella's head and headed back towards the door. "Now get some sleep."

Glinda shut the door to Ella's room and headed off towards her own suite. She needed time to process what had just happened. Had one of the staff told Ella a story of the Wicked Witch of the West? This was certainly unaccepted. There were few rules in this house and one of them was to never speak of the Wicked Witch of the West, or as Glinda knew her, Elphaba.

Glinda rounded the corner and almost knocked down one of the statues of armor. She had sped up her pace without realizing it. Emotions Glinda thought she had suppressed long ago were coming to the surface once again. She tried not to think about Elphaba so much but it became harder and harder everyday she was around Ella.

Elphaba had promised to help Glinda raise her child and she had broke her promise. She went off and got herself killed by the wizard before Glinda had the chance to tell her.

The night Elphaba was melted was the night Glinda went to tell her. That is why she had been there when the Gale Force arrived to capture her. Glinda had lost the nerve to tell her before she was killed. The blonde regretted her decision everyday. Maybe if she had had the courage to tell her things would be different. She wouldn't have married that awful man, she wouldn't be raising her child alone, and most importantly Elphaba might still be with her.

Glinda couldn't let herself dwell on the past too much. Elphaba was gone and there was no changing it. Glinda just had to figure out which of her staff members broke her rules. She was not going to accept that sort of behavior in her house.

The blonde now knew what she had to do and so she called for her head of security to meet her in an hour. She needed to settle this once and for all. Any person who spoke of the green witch would get fired immediately. Glinda could not raise her child properly with the interference of false stories. She would not allow Ella to think that Elphaba was wicked.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Elphaba watched as Glinda led Ella inside the palace. She had moved from her spot in the bushes once she heard Glinda's voice. She did not want to be discovered by Glinda out in the open. She knew that the blonde was going to scream from shock and her guards would quickly be at her side. Elphaba figured the only way she could approach the blonde would be privately in her room.

Elphaba waited until Glinda and Ella were safely inside before she moved again. She dodged under another bush closer to the entrance of the castle. She was busy devising a plan when she overheard two guards speaking with each other.

"Hey did you hear about the meeting?" The taller guard asked the shorter one.

"No. What meeting?" The shorter one replied.

Elphaba listened intently. Had Ella told Glinda something that would jeopardize everything? There was no other reason the security guards should have a meeting unless it was important. Elphaba tried to bury herself a little farther into the bushes. It helped that she was green so blending in came easily for her.

"Miss Glinda called a meeting with all house staff including security." The taller man informed. The shorter of the two looked up questioningly.

"Why would she do that?" he asked. The older guard just shrugged. "When is it?" the shorter one asked.

"One hour." And with that said their conversation was over.

Elphaba had heard enough to know that all was not right. Glinda wouldn't have called a meeting with everyone unless….no…Glinda couldn't know she was there. Ella was only two, how much description could she give her mother?

Elphaba didn't know what to think of the whole situation but she knew one thing. She needed to get to Glinda before that meeting. Whatever Glinda had to say frightened the green woman. It had to be about her, there was no other explanation.

Elphaba was a little agitated that her plan had to occur before she was ready. It was the best thing to do though. She spent the next ten minutes gathering materials she found around her. A couple of leaves, some small branches, and she pulled some concealer out of a small bag she had brought with her. She started the tedious process of applying the make up to her green skin. She had done this before for when she went into town.

The green woman continued to apply the creamy liquid to her face and hands until she was no longer green. She looked like a normal human being. The hard part was getting it to stay. Elphaba had a permanence spell for this though. The only way the makeup would wash off was if she said a special chant.

Once Elphaba was completely covered and the permanence spell read, she went on to the next part of her plan. She pulled her hands up to her hair and messed it up. She then went about the task of applying some of the leaves she had gathered into her hair. She looked like a mess. There were two more things the witch had to do before she was done.

She took the largest of the branches and said a spell so that the branch was immediately carved into a point at one end.

Testing to see that the point was sharp enough, Elphaba pricked herself. A small droplet of blood fell from the area of where she had just tested her device. She was pleased, everything so far was going as planned.

The now cream skinned girl closed her eyes as she brought the branch across her arm one more time. This time she was not out to test the instrument. A large gash appeared on her right arm going from wrist to elbow.

"Ouch." Elphaba winced. It had hurt a lot more than she had anticipated.

Once her arm was wounded, her hair disheveled and her skin whitened, she had one last task to do. She grabbed at the heavy cloak and went about tearing it in some places.

That was it. Her transformation had gone according to plan. Now if anyone looked at her they would not see a green witch but a helpless victim. She smiled as she thought her plan might actually work.

Elphaba had to wait for the right timing. The guards were focused in her direction for a long time. When they finally turned away distracted by a commotion elsewhere it was show time.

"Help! Help!" Elphaba yelled as she got up from her place outside the palace gates and ran towards the guards.

The guards noticed the woman running towards them and took in her physical appearance. Her clothes were ripped, her hair out of place, and she was bleeding profusely from her arm.

"Help!" Elphaba continued to yell as she looked over her shoulder pretending someone was following her. Over her years she roomed with Glinda, she had learned to become quite the actor.

"What is it Miss?" The shorter guard said to the fast approaching woman. Elphaba was relieved. He had believed that she was in real trouble.

"There is a man following me! He attacked me after I left the store!" Elphaba yelled through tears. She was really playing up the part.

Both of the guards looked at each other and then back at the defenseless woman in front of them. Who ever could harm such a beautiful young woman was beyond their understanding.

"It's okay ma'am. You're safe now." The taller guard placed his arm around Elphaba and embraced her. Elphaba continued to play the part.

"H…he tried to rape me." She whispered through tears. Both guard's eyes opened in shock. How could anyone do something so vulgar?

"Is he following you still?" Elphaba only shook her head in response and clung tightly to the guard that had embraced her.

"Here come with us, we'll protect you." He ushered her inside.

Elphaba was still crying like there was no tomorrow but inside she was dancing with excitement. Her plan had worked. She was now in the palace of Glinda the Good and she didn't even have to sneak in to get there.

"Wait here ma'am." And the taller guard left Elphaba in the entrance hall to go get help. Elphaba was considering whether to knock the smaller guard out and make a run for it to Glinda's room or to wait and see what the taller guard would do. Her curiosity got the better of her and she stood shaking in the entrance hall.

**XXX**

There was a knock at her door and Glinda looked up.

"Come in." she called.

The door opened to reveal the taller guard. Glinda was surprised at the look on his face. He looked concerned and a little angry.

"What can I do for you Master Toyik?" Glinda asked the guard and motioned for him to take a place in front of her at the table. He gladly obliged and sat down.

"Miss Glinda there has been a commotion around the palace." The guard told the blonde witch. Glinda suddenly became concerned. Usually when a guard found her and said there was a commotion it was people trying to protest Glinda's position. Not all of Oz thought Glinda to be good.

"What kind of commotion?" She was worried. The guard caught this and quickly went to change his statement.

"Oh no Miss Glinda it's not that sort of commotion." Glinda was relieved and nodded for the man to continue. "While me and Master Denim were out front a woman came running up to us for help. Apparently some guy was following her and had attacked her. She was in pretty bad shape."

Glinda's face dropped, as she felt sorry for whoever this person was.

"Oh I'm sorry to hear that." Glinda said with real emotion. "What did you do about this situation?"

The guard regarded Glinda the Good carefully. He was not sure if he had handled the situation correctly or not.

"Well Miss Glinda she is here right now actually. In the entrance hall." Master Toyik slowly spoke trying to gauge a reaction from the blonde.

"She's here right now?" Glinda needed confirmation that she had heard correctly.

"Yes Miss Glinda." He confirmed. "We couldn't just send her away with that creep still on the loose. What if she got attacked again? I'd never forgive myself." He hung his head low as he thought of what-ifs.

Glinda could understand why he had taken the girl inside and was thankful. She hadn't got the name Glinda the Good by turning people away.

"Well I think you did an excellent job with handling the situation and I am very proud of you and Master Denim." She smiled at the guard. The guards face flushed with relief.

"Thank you Miss Glinda. What do you want us to do with her? She is pretty bloodied up and could use medical assistance." Glinda flinched at the mention of blood but tried to act as diplomatic towards the guard as she could.

"Clean her up first and then I would like to speak with her. I want to make sure she if suffering no ill effects from her debacle earlier." Glinda stated with authority. The guard got up to leave the room.

"No problem Miss Glinda." He opened the door and left.

Glinda was left to wonder who this mysterious woman was that was in her entrance hall.

**XXX**

Elphaba was still crying when Master Toyik reappeared. She looked up when she heard his footsteps.

"So what's the verdict?" she managed to say through whimpers. The guard looked over towards Master Denim and motioned for him to go back outside. He followed orders and was soon back outside guarding the palace.

"Lady Glinda says you are to be cleaned up and taken to her right away so she can speak with you." The guard told the woman in front of him.

Elphaba smiled into her hands that had been holding her head. Her plan was working better than expected. She had practically been invited into the palace and would soon be alone with the love of her life.

"Thank you." She managed a smile towards the guard. Master Toyik smiled back and went over to help Elphaba up.

"So what is your name anyways?" He asked as he walked her to the infirmary. Elphaba's movements stiffened. How could she forget something so simple as a name? She had to think quickly. Looking around she spotted a potted plant that looked to be an iris.

"Iris." She quickly replied. The guard smiled.

"That is a beautiful name Miss Iris. My name is Leland Toyik." Elphaba smiled at the generosity of the guard. It had been so long since she had talked to anyone besides Fiyero. The company was nice.

"Well here we are Miss Iris." He motioned towards the door to the infirmary.

"Thank you Master Toyik." Elphaba was thankful she was one step closer to Glinda.

"Oh please call me Leland. Master Toyik is my father." The guard laughed and so did Elphaba.

"Okay then Leland." Elphaba flashed him a smile before walking into the infirmary. She knew she would have a hell of a time explaining to the nurse why she had a huge gash on her arm. One more story to make up. It was worth it for Glinda.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: It's a little longer than usual…but I figured I wouldn't get any complaints. Haha. So here is the next chapter. Enjoy! And just a heads up this may or may not be the last chapter I get out for a week or so. I am going on vacation. I will try and post one more before I leave but I'm not sure I will get around to it. But when I get back I will have plenty of chapters since I will be riding in the car for 12 hours straight...multiple times.**

**Chapter 6**

"Ouch!" Elphaba yelped as the nurse applied some ointment to her injured arm.

"Hold still Miss Iris and it won't sting as much." The nurse chided her for trying to wiggle her arm free. Elphaba had felt fine before the nurse tried to help her. Now her arm was actually hurting.

"Maybe I wouldn't be hurting so much if you knew how to control that damn syringe." Elphaba spat back. The nurse was really beginning to get on her nerves.

The nurse just looked up at the woman and scoffed.

"All right. All set." She applied the last of the bandages to her arm and helped her off of the table. "Master Toyik should be waiting for you outside to escort you to see Miss Glinda."

Elphaba supplied a quick thank you to the nurse and left to go meet Leland.

"So how was it?" Leland asked Elphaba as he saw her arm all bandaged up.

"Hell." Elphaba responded and accepted Leland's arm that he offered out. Elphaba was trying to contain her nerves, as she knew that within minutes she would be in front of Glinda. As if to dash her dreams Leland interrupted her.

"There has been a slight change in plans Miss Iris." Leland offered. Elphaba looked up at the man with concern in her eyes. Had she been discovered? Was he here to actually escort her to the Gale Force guards?

"What kind of change?" she asked skeptically. Leland continued to hold onto her arm as he led her back into the grand hall. _"Where is he taking me? This is not the way to Glinda's." _she wondered.

"It seems that the staff and guards were supposed to have a meeting with Miss Glinda. We had hoped that your trip to the infirmary would not interrupt this but it has. The meeting is in progress right now I believe." Leland told the woman with him. Elphaba's eyes went wide in shock.

"_Oh no! She is going to tell everyone to be on guard and look out for anything suspicious!" _Elphaba began to panic. She let go of Leland's arm. Leland turned around to notice the woman who he was once escorting was now lingering behind.

"Is everything all right miss?" he asked as he came back over to help Elphaba remain balanced. Elphaba was in the middle of a panic attack. Her breathing began shallow and her pulse quickened. Everything she worked for was about to come down around her. The Gale Force guards were sure to be on their way by now.

"Iris?" The guard said again trying to gain Elphaba's attention. Elphaba looked up into the man's eyes.

"Can I sit down for a second?" She asked the guard. Leland could tell something was not right with the woman and so he led her into the closest seat.

"Is there anything you require?" he offered her. Elphaba's breathing had become a little less labored. Her panic attack was coming to an end.

Elphaba shook her head. The only thing she needed right now was to get to Glinda. She didn't care if she would get caught. She was willing to risk everything for one up close glance of her love before the guards were bound to come in and capture her.

"I think I am fine now Leland." She slowly stood. "I just get these panic attacks sometimes and what happened to me before didn't help any."

Leland nodded in understanding. How could he be so dumb as to think she would suffer no ill effects from earlier?

"It's perfectly fine Miss Iris." He smiled at Elphaba and offered out his arm again for her to claim.

"Thanks. And please Leland call me Iris. No miss." Elphaba offered the man. He smiled back at her.

"All right Iris. Well we have two options. You can either go wait in Miss Glinda's study for her or you can come to the meeting with me. I'm sure she won't even notice if one other person is there. I can smuggle you in." He winked at Elphaba. Elphaba couldn't help but blush. If she hadn't known any better she would have thought that Leland was hitting on her.

Elphaba weighed her options for a little while. She could go in Glinda's study and rummage through her stuff…or she could go see what this meeting was all about. It didn't take long for her to decide.

"Meeting please." She told Leland. Leland laughed and continued in the direction where the meeting was to be held.

"One meeting coming right up." He said as he opened the doors to the dining hall.

Inside there were about fifteen guards, five maids, and about a dozen secretaries. They all stood next to each other. The guards were wearing their uniforms: black slacks, a black button up shirt with the Emerald City logo on it, a badge, and they all had muskets slung around their shoulders. The sight of them frightened Elphaba terribly. The maids too were all dressed the same: a small black dress with a white apron in front. They all had feather dusters attached to them like the guards had with their muskets. The secretaries differed in outfit though. They all had individual suits or dresses. Some wore pink, other blue.

That was not who Elphaba was here to see though. She was here to see Glinda. She looked up towards the front where the blonde stood in front of everyone. Elphaba had to use all of her restrain not to go up there are kiss her. She looked even more beautiful than before.

Glinda was not talking at the moment and so Elphaba was still not sure what this meeting was going to be about. She just watched as the blonde looked over the crowd deciding how to start. Elphaba was glad she was in the back or else Glinda would be sure to see her. Not that she would recognize her though.

"Fellow workers." She began. "I called forth this meeting today because my daughter has told me some interesting news."

Elphaba went weak in her knees. _"Oh no!" _Elphaba screamed inside but kept her eyes fixated on Glinda.

"You all are aware of the rules in this house. Correct?" she asked the workers.

"Yes." Came the consensus from the crowd.

"Well I believe a couple of you have broken my most important rule." She glared at the crowd in front of her. Anger was apparent in her voice.

"_Wait what?"_ Elphaba thought. _"This doesn't sound like it's about me at all."_

Glinda continued. "My daughter has told me that she saw a green woman lurking around the palace."

A couple of the staffers shrieked.

Galinda took no notice and continued. "Now I know that is not true because we all know there has only ever been one green woman and she died three years ago."

Elphaba was relieved. She felt the whole of Oz lift off of her shoulders.

"So the only way my two year old daughter could dream up a green woman would be if one or more of you have been telling my daughter stories of the Wicked Witch of the West." She shot towards the crowd. Glinda was beginning to become furious.

Elphaba stood there in shock. She had never heard Glinda refer to her as the Wicked Witch of the West. Everyone had, but her.

"Now if I find out who has been telling my daughter these stories I will personally see to it that they are fired and can never find a job in Oz again. Got it?" she stared into the shocked crowd.

The entire crowd nodded their head up and down in fear. None of them would dare cross paths with Glinda the Good.

"Good." She stated. "I do not want my daughter growing up on stories of fiction. The only stories she will ever hear of that green woman will come from me." There was a strong note of authority in her voice.

Elphaba admired her command over the situation. _"Had she just said those stories were fiction? Does she still believe I am not wicked?" _she wondered.

Before she was ready to leave Leland had tugged on her arm. She obediently followed him out of the dining hall.

"Wow that was intense." Leland looked back towards the hall where others had started to filter out.

"Yes it was." Elphaba agreed. She was curious though. "Is she usually like that?" she asked.

Leland looked down towards Elphaba. "Only when it comes to the Wicked Witch of the West for some reason. Other than that she is a really pleasant woman to be around."

Elphaba smiled. This did not go unnoticed by Leland.

"Why do you ask?" He was curious at her expression.

"No reason." She responded. "Are we headed up to see Miss Glinda now?" she was anxious to finally talk to Glinda one on one. She was not sure what she would say to her or how she would say it. She knew that when she saw her all the right words would just seem to form.

"Yes we are." Leland answered and led Elphaba up a back staircase. They ascended at least three flights of stairs before they finally turned out of the staircase. Elphaba saw a set of double doors in front of her and her excitement grew. She knew that once she explained everything to Glinda all would be well.

They were about fifteen feet from the door when another door slowly opened. Elphaba looked towards the sudden movement and saw Glinda's daughter headed over in their direction.

"_Oh crap. Not now."_ Elphaba thought. She had been so close.

"What are you doing out of your room Miss Ella?" The guard asked the little girl as she rubbed her eyes. "You know you aren't supposed to leave without ringing your bell first."

At this Elphaba rolled her eyes. Only Glinda's two year old would have the staff waiting on her hand and foot.

"I thought you were mommy." She yawned. She then noticed that the guard was not alone. Her eyes fixated on Elphaba like she was a specimen in a Petri dish.

"_Please don't let her recognize me. Please don't let her recognize me." _She pleaded in her head.

"Who are you?" The little girl asked. Elphaba could no longer ignore the little girl since she had asked her a direct question.

"My name is Iris. What's yours?" she offered up. She knew that if she was friendly with the little girl than things would probably go smoother. Plus she didn't want to do any harm to this girl that was Glinda's whole world.

"Ella." The little girl responded and went over closer to where Elphaba was. She was now standing directly in front of Elphaba. Elphaba didn't want to seem rude and so she crouched down to be eye level with Ella.

"That's a beautiful name Miss Ella." She looked into Ella's eyes. They reminded her so much of Fiyero. She would not let that thought overtake her outward emotions.

Ella smiled back at Elphaba. "I have seen you before."

Elphaba tensed up. _"Oh no. Not good. Not good at all. Time for plan B." _she thought. The only problem was that she didn't have a plan B.

"I don't think so." She responded back. She knew that two year olds could be easily persuaded. She was about to continue when she caught a flash of blonde rounding the corner.

"Mommy!" Ella ran into her mother's arms that picked her up and gave her a tight hug.

"Did you have a good nap sweetheart?" Glinda asked her daughter. She had yet to notice Elphaba standing there or Leland standing next to her.

"Yep." Ella smiled back at her mother who sat her back on the ground. Ella took her hand and led her towards the group of people waiting outside of her study.

"Mommy look!" she pointed them out. Glinda then lifted her head up and noticed Master Toyik and another woman standing next to him. This must be the victim she had been told about.

She walked over to where they were and greeted them both never really taking her eyes off of Ella. She shook the guards hand and asked him to take Ella down to get a snack. After much protest from the two year old, Ella was led away by Leland leaving Elphaba and Glinda behind.

"Shall we?" Glinda asked and motioned towards her study. Elphaba was too in shock to say anything and so she just shook her head.

Once inside Glinda went over to pour herself some water. She still hadn't gotten a good look at the woman yet. She had only glanced at her briefly.

"Would you like anything to drink? I bet you are parched." She asked the woman sitting on the couch.

Elphaba shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "No thank you." She responded.

Once Galinda had poured herself a glass she came and sat back in front of the woman. She took a swig of her water and looked up to meet Elphaba's eyes. When their eyes met Glinda froze. Her jaw went loose and her mouth opened in shock. She continued to stare for another few seconds before she turned her head away.

"I'm sorry ma'am. I don't mean to stare it's just you look an awful lot like a friend I once had." Glinda finally managed a sentence. Elphaba had to keep from laughing.

"Really?" she liked the teasing too much to end it just yet. "What did she look like?" she innocently asked.

"Well besides being the duplicate of you…" she trailed off as she stared back into Elphaba's eyes.

"Go on." Elphaba urged her to continue.

"Well she had the same dark hair as you. Hers might have been a little longer though. The same angular features. And its odd but you two have the same exact eyes. I would have never thought anyone to have eyes quite like hers. I guess I am proven wrong." Glinda stared back ahead. She was met with a smile. Galinda shivered. There was something odd about this woman in front of her. If she didn't know any better she would have thought it was Elphaba's identical twin sister or something. Minus the skin tone and all.

Elphaba had had her fun teasing the blonde. Now she knew it was time to confess. "What was her name?" she asked one last question.

"Her name was Alexa." Glinda lied and looked away. Elphaba tried to suppress her laughter.

"Alexa, eh?" she asked. Glinda nodded that was correct. "Are you sure about that Glin?" Elphaba was now full on teasing the blonde.

"What do you mean am I sure that's what my best friends name was. Of course I am sure. And I do not appreciate that nickname." She scolded the girl in front of her. Elphaba couldn't help but smile. Glinda was too cute when she got mad.

"I have it on good authority that her name was Elphaba." She stated as she watched the blonde's eye widen. Glinda jumped out of her seat.

"Who are you? A spy?" she yelled at the woman. "I have my guards on standby. Make one more move and I swear." she left the sentence open ended.

Elphaba gulped. Maybe she had teased the blonde just a little too much. She knew she needed to do something to get her attention. She raised up her hands to her face and muttered a quiet little chant. It didn't seem to do anything to her but Elphaba knew that her permanence spell had worn off.

"Please sit back down Miss Glinda." Elphaba pointed towards the now vacant seat across from her. Glinda hesitated before she took a seat back down. There was something odd with this whole situation and she was keen to figure it out.

"I am not a spy. My name is also not Iris." She provided the blonde with some answers to her earlier questions.

"But Master Toyik said that your name was…" Glinda said confused but was interrupted by Elphaba.

"I know that is what Leland said but I lied to him. My real name is Elphaba." Elphaba stared straight ahead into Glinda's eyes. How she had missed those eyes.

"I…I don't understand." Glinda stumbled over her words. Elphaba knew that she was too far to simply tell the blonde that she was in fact the same Elphaba. She had to show her somehow. She reached out for a napkin that was placed under Glinda's water cup. She dipped the napkin in the water and held it up to her face.

"Don't scream please." She asked the blonde before gently applying the wet cloth to her face. She rubbed at the concealer until she saw the pasty white liquid coming off into the napkin. Once she was satisfied she had shown enough skin she looked back up to meet Glinda's eyes.

Glinda took one look at Elphaba and her whole face went pale. "Elphie?" she managed to ask before she fainted into her chair.

"_Great. Just great Elphaba. You managed to scare her to the point of passing out." _Elphaba went over to where Glinda had slid down into the chair.

"Well at least she didn't scream." She said as she put own arm around Glinda to lift her back up into a sitting position. She then went over to the glass of water and put a little bit on the tips of her fingers. She went back over to Glinda and flicked the cold water into her face. It took three trips before Glinda's eyes finally started to flutter open.

"Oh thank Oz." Elphaba smiled as she looked down at Glinda. Glinda's eyes met Elphaba's and her eyed got wide once again.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!" Glinda yelled a piercing scream that was loud enough to be heard all the way back at Kiamo Ko.

"_Shit! Oh shit!"_ Elphaba panicked.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So I'm not mean enough to leave you on a cliffhanger before I go on vacation. I will try and find internet to update on my trip…not quite sure that exists where I am going however. Reviews always make me happy too so thanks to you guise for reviewing. ******** Enjoy!**

**Chapter 7**

It took Elphaba a moment to react to what was happening. Glinda's shrill screams were not making it any easier for the green woman to think. In one swift movement Elphaba reached her hand forward and cupped it over Glinda's mouth muffling her screams. The blonde's eyes went wide and she tried to move away but Elphaba had a firm grip on her.

"Listen Glinda I don't have much time now. I really am Elphaba. I wasn't killed. I have been in hiding." Elphaba talked a mile a minute trying to give as much of an explanation out before the guards got there. "Please Glinda look at me. Look into my eyes. You know deep down that its me." Elphaba continued to plead with the woman in front of her.

Glinda was breathing heavily. She was still trying to squirm away from the woman who had such a tight grip on her. _"This can't be Elphie. Elphie died." _She tried to convince herself. But when Elphaba asked her to look into her eyes and Glinda did she saw something there. Something she hadn't seen in a long time.

"I'm going to remove my hand now. Please don't scream anymore." Elphaba asked the blonde. "I'm sure the guards are already on their way. It will do no use." With another quick motion Elphaba removed her hand from over Glinda's mouth. To Elphaba's surprise and relief Glinda didn't scream anymore. She sat in the chair motionless still staring into Elphaba's eyes.

Elphaba was the first to break eye contact. She looked around the room looking for an escape route. The only was out was the door she had come in through. She wasn't dumb enough to use that as an exit. She continued to look as she heard muffled footsteps in the distance. They became louder and more pronounced the closer they got to the study.

"_Oh no. I'm trapped."_ Elphaba thought. She looked back towards Glinda. If she was going to be caught there was something she needed to say to the blonde first. She gathered all her courage that was left and went over by Glinda's side.

"Glin, I'm not here to hurt you, I swear." The green woman promised Glinda. Glinda was still in a state of shock. "I didn't know you had a kid. I would have come back sooner had I known." Elphaba was losing her composure. Tears started to well in her eyes. She had come this far and nothing was going to stop her now. "I came as soon as I found out. I remembered our promise." The footsteps sounded about fifteen feet away now. Within seconds the guards would be inside and she would be captured.

The whole time Elphaba had been speaking, Glinda had stared at her in disbelief. _"Could this really be Elphaba? My Elphie? This isn't making sense." _Glinda could not control her thoughts. She was about to scream again when she heard Elphaba speak. She listened carefully as Elphaba had said she remembered her promise.

Glinda's fear of the woman in front of her wore off immediately once she heard Elphaba mention their promise. No other person knew about that except… _"Oh no!" _Glinda panicked. _"What have I done?"_

Elphaba watched as Glinda's facial expression changed.

"_Maybe I really got through to her."_ Elphaba thought. It was too late though. The doors to Glinda's study came busting open. Leland and a couple of other guards came running in, muskets in hand.

"Back away from Glinda!" Leland yelled to Elphaba who was still knelt down on the floor in front of Glinda. She had her back turned towards the guards and was about to turn to face them when she felt Glinda grab her arm.

Elphaba looked up to meet the blonde's eyes that were telling her to stay where she was. Elphaba didn't move an inch. Glinda then looked back up at the guards.

"Oh I am sorry to have frightened you Master Toyik. I didn't mean to scream so loud." Glinda tried to keep her voice calm. "I saw a cockroach on the ground." Glinda forced a smile up towards the guards.

Leland looked back at Glinda unsure of whether or not he should believe her. He then looked down at the woman he knew as Iris sitting in front of her.

"Is that correct Iris?" he asked her. Elphaba managed to shake her head, her back still to the guards. Leland did not believe this woman was a threat before and so he did not figure her to be one now. She was an innocent victim to him.

"I really will try to contain myself in the future." Glinda continued to lie. "You know how those little buggers scare the living daylights out of me."

Leland smiled in remembrance. This wasn't the first time they had come storming into a room only to find out it was bugs attacking Glinda and not an actual person.

"Very well. We will be right outside your door if you need anything." He cast another glance towards Elphaba that did not go unnoticed by Glinda.

Glinda thanked them again and they left. Both women let out a sigh of relief.

It was just the two of them left in the room to sort through all of their questions. Elphaba knew Glinda had a million and she had many answers for every one of them.

"Elphie?" Glinda asked looking down at Elphaba who was still in front of her. Elphaba loved being called that. She hadn't heard that nickname in almost three years.

"It really is me Glin." Elphaba reached up and took Glinda's hands in her own. Elphaba could not gauge the emotion that was coming from Glinda. She wasn't sure if she was confused, hurt, thankful, angered, or a combination. She received her response when Glinda let go of her hands and slapped Elphaba across the face.

Elphaba was taken aback at this action. She expected a happy reunion after Glinda had just lied for her like that. Instead she was left with a red handprint on the side of her face.

"What the hell was that for?" she asked the blonde a little angrier than she intended.

"How dare you Elphaba Thropp!" Glinda stood from her chair. "How dare you lie to me for three years and make me think you were dead!"

Elphaba winced as Glinda's words stung her. "Shh…keep your voice down Glinda. The guards are still outside." Elphaba tried to quiet her down.

"The guards?" she shrieked an octave above her normal voice. "I'm trying to talk to you and all you care about is the fucking guards?" Glinda was furious. She never used vulgar language and to do so meant she must really be angry.

Elphaba hated hearing that word from Glinda. She knew Glinda's dislike for strong language and was sorry she was the cause of it. She stood up to be level with Glinda.

"I have been through hell and back these past three years!" she yelled at Elphaba. Elphaba just walked closer towards the blonde.

"Did you even care who you hurt in your lies?" she spat at Elphaba who was now three feet in front of her. "Did you even care that I cried almost every night wishing you were alive?" Glinda's anger ebbed slightly. Her words still stung Elphaba but with less force.

"I have been raising this child all by myself and for what? So you could go prance around Oz making the rest of us look like fools?" Glinda's voice began to shake. Elphaba noticed and reached out her arms to hug the girl in front of her.

Glinda tried to get away from Elphaba's grip but the more she struggled the tighter Elphaba held on to her.

"I hate you Elphaba!" she screamed into the girls shoulder. Elphaba only hugged her tighter. "I hate you! I hate you!" her eyes began to water as tears threatened to spill out.

Elphaba reached one of her hands up and began stroking the blonde locks of the girl she was holding. "I'm sorry." She muttered. Those two words were all it took for Glinda to break down completely and to cry into Elphaba's shoulder.

The blonde stopped trying to weasel her way away from Elphaba and instead clung to her tightly, afraid that she would just disappear. Her whole body shook as tears escaped her eyes. Elphaba held her ground and continued stroking Glinda's hair. They stayed like that for a long time until Glinda's tears finally started to slow. Elphaba pulled away and looked at the girl standing in front of her.

Galinda looked up to see Elphaba's brown eyes staring at hers. A small smile crept onto her face. Elphaba smiled back.

"I missed you my precious girl." Elphaba leaned forward and placed a kiss on Glinda's forehead. She had longed to do that for so long and now it was a reality.

Glinda melted into Elphaba's touch. She felt Elphaba kiss her forehead and she went weak in the knees. She had longed for this for so long.

"I missed you too Elphie." Glinda sighed as Elphaba's lips left her forehead.

They continued to stare at each other until Elphaba finally spoke.

"I owe you an explanation." She stated. She knew that Glinda would ask this eventually and so she just decided to start the topic herself. She wanted as much control over the situation as she could possibly have.

"Yes you do." Glinda agreed. She then captured Elphaba's hands in her own and led them over to the couch so they could sit. Elphaba followed and soon they were sitting facing each other.

Elphaba figured she should start with the reason she was here first. Get the hard stuff out of the way.

"I have a confession to make." Elphaba looked a little uneasy. Glinda had not taken the news that she was still alive well and so she was unsure of how she would take the fact the Fiyero was alive as well.

"Really Elphie I don't think it can be bigger than you suddenly coming back to life." Glinda tried to ease Elphaba's nerves. It didn't work though.

"I'm not the only one that is alive that you think is dead." Elphaba stated. Glinda looked confused. Who else did she think was dead?

"Glinda for the past three years I have been involved with Fiyero." Elphaba looked away from the blonde as she said this. Glinda's eyes went wide in shock and she got this weird feeling in her stomach. She figured the feeling was attributed to Fiyero being alive and not the fact that Elphaba was dating him.

"Oh." Glinda frowned. Elphaba looked back up in time to noticed the blonde girls facial expression shift.

"We aren't together anymore though." Elphaba tried to explain. The heavy feeling that was in Glinda's stomach seemed to ease with Elphaba's words. "He betrayed me Glinda." Elphaba's eyes began to water.

Glinda looked back up to see the green woman in front of her crying. _"So I guess she really is hurt by them not being together anymore." _Galinda's face went back into a frown.

"I'm sorry." She offered up her sleeve to dry the green girls tears.

"He lied to me." Elphaba shook her head. "About you."

"Me?" Glinda looked confused.

Elphaba shook her head. "Glinda I'm so sorry." She began to cry harder. Glinda reached forward and wrapped the green girl in her arms.

"Shh sweetie. It's okay." She rocked Elphaba back and forth. Glinda hated seeing Elphaba so upset.

Elphaba heard Glinda's sweet words and just cried harder. She felt so guilty about everything.

"I never wanted to lie to you. I swear." Elphaba let go of Glinda so she could look her in the eyes. "I wanted to tell you I was alive but Fiyero stopped me. He said no one could know. Had I known it was for selfish reasons I never would have agreed to it." Glinda looked into Elphaba's eyes trying to understand. "He never told me you two had a daughter. If I had known I wouldn't have left. I would have found another way. Believe me Glinda." Elphaba began to cry again. "Oh please believe me."

"I believe you Elphie." Glinda squeezed Elphaba's hand that was in her own. Elphaba was not done speaking yet.

"I came back as soon as I found out. I swear. I remembered our promise." Elphaba's eyes looked into Glinda's still seeking out an apology. She knew nothing the blonde could say could help her guilt go away.

"You remembered our promise?" Glinda stuttered.

"How could I forget?" She reached up her hand to brush the side of Glinda's face. Glinda shuttered at the heat.

"I want to make things right Glin. I want to make good on my promise. I watched you today. The way you interacted with Ella was almost too hard for me to watch." Elphaba admitted.

"Why?" Glinda cocked her head to the side.

"Because I felt guilty that you had to go through all of that on your own." Elphaba simply responded. Glinda smiled at the sentiment that Elphaba spoke with. She knew they still had many things to discuss, and they would in time. Glinda was on emotional overload and she knew Elphaba must have passed that a long time ago.

"Well you are here now and that is all that matters." She smiled at Elphaba. Elphaba smiled back.

"Glinda I want to help you but I am still confused as to how I will be able to."

"How do you mean so Elphie?" she asked the green girl.

"Well I can't just walk around the palace as myself. Even if people no longer remember what the Wicked Witch of the West looked like they will remember her green skin. It's not hard to miss." She laughed.

Glinda smiled back and sat thinking for a moment. Her eyebrows scrunched together in concentration. After a couple of minutes her eyes went wide and that brilliant smile returned to her face.

"I got it!" she bubbled. Elphaba was a little frightened of her plan. Glinda was not known for having the greatest ideas.

"People know the Wicked Witch of the West right?" she asked Elphaba already knowing the answer.

"Yes…" Elphaba answered cautiously.

"Well then we will just give them Iris, the innocent victim." She smiled, proud of herself for coming up with such a brilliant plan.

Elphaba's eyes lit up with realization and the green woman perked right up. "You're a genius."

Glinda smiled back. "I aim to please."

"But Glinda I can't always wear this make up. I break out in a rash if it is on for more than 48 hours. Plus I haven't the strength to keep this permanence spell up." Elphaba's smile went down as she thought this plan might not actually work.

Glinda giggled earning a confused look from Elphaba. "Oh come on Elphie, I don't want you covered in that silly make up. I want to see your beautiful luminescent green skin."

Elphaba smiled as Glinda called her skin tone beautiful.

"Then how do you expect me to get around?" The green girl asked.

"I'll put a glamour spell on you of course. You will appear to everyone as having the same pale skin tone except for the people I wish to exclude from it." Glinda smiled proud of her plan.

"And who do you wish to exclude from it?" Elphaba arched up an eyebrow.

"Me and Ella of course."

"Do you really think that letting Ella see my true color is a good idea?" Elphaba cautioned.

"Elphie I want my daughter growing up knowing diversity. I want her to experience how people, no matter their skin tone, can be beautiful and fun and caring." There was a sentiment in Glinda's voice that made Elphaba shiver.

Glinda noticed her shiver. "Are you cold Elphie?"

"No, not really. Your words just seem to send a tingle down my spine." Elphaba shyly admitted. Glinda smiled.

"You have the same effect on me." She looked dreamily into the eyes of Elphaba.

Elphaba felt her pulse quicken as Glinda's piercing blue eyes stared into her brown ones. She wanted so badly to reach forwards and capture Glinda's lips in her own. She resisted knowing now was not the time nor place for that. She just told Glinda that she was alive and well, telling her that she was also in love with her might be too much. If Glinda's plan worked like it should, she would have years to make the blonde girl fall in love with her.

Glinda continued to stare at Elphaba as she felt butterflies in her stomach. She was unsure where these feelings were coming from but they only intensified when Elphaba licked her lips nervously. Glinda swooned at this action. She felt the sudden urge to lean forward and kiss the raven-haired beauty in front of her. She resisted knowing that she just gained Elphie back. She didn't want to scare her away by kissing her. She sighed as she thought that one-day, just maybe, Elphaba would fall in love with her.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: So there is Internet at the first hotel…yay! Sorry it's so short though...I didn't get much sleep last night and so it's hard enough staying conscious to write this.**

**Chapter 8**

"Elphie?" Glinda called into the bathroom where Elphaba had escaped to. When Glinda didn't receive a response she got up from her position on the couch. "Elphie?" she repeated. There was still no answer. _"Hmm…she must not hear me."_ Glinda shrugged and went over to the door. She raised a hand to knock when she heard the water from the shower start. Glinda's eyes went wide in shock. _"Oh no! Elphie is allergic to water!" _Glinda panicked. Not caring about anything else, she brought her hand to the door handle and quickly opened it.

Elphaba stood on the other side dressed only in her undergarments. Glinda's intrusion made the green girl shriek. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked the blonde once she had regained her ability to think.

Glinda stood staring at Elphaba's body. She heard Elphaba's words but could not force her eyes from Elphie's toned stomach. Elphaba was pretty fit, despite her dislike of strenuous activities. Glinda's jaw dropped as her gaze slowing went up towards Elphaba's chest. Elphaba had managed to cover her skin with concealer where people would see but in these areas that Glinda was staring at she had not.

Elphaba caught Glinda's gaze and suddenly felt self-conscious. She reached for a towel that was within arms reach and quickly wrapped it around herself much to Glinda's dislike.

"Earth to Glinda." Elphaba snapped her fingers trying to revive the blonde from whatever state she was in. Glinda shook her head free from her dirty thoughts and looked up at Elphaba.

"Uh sorry Elphie." She smiled shyly and then averted her gaze from the green girl. She felt embarrassed at how she reacted towards seeing Elphaba's body. She had seen it many times before at Shiz, only now seemed different somehow.

Elphaba smiled at the blush on Glinda's cheek and went back to her questioning. "So why did you come barging in here after all?" she asked.

Glinda looked back up from the floor to meet Elphaba's eyes once again. She so desperately wanted to go over to Elphaba and tell her to drop her towel but she remained composed. "I heard the water running." There was concern in the blonde's voice.

"…And?" Elphaba asked the blonde not catching on.

"You are allergic to water Elphie." Glinda stated and then looked unsure of herself. "Aren't you?"

Elphaba smiled at Glinda's obvious overprotection of the green girl. "Actually I'm not." Elphaba went over to where Glinda was standing. She was now about three feet away and she slowly brought her left arm up towards Glinda's shoulder. Glinda shivered as she felt Elphaba place her hand on her shoulder.

"Wait I'm confused." Glinda looked over at the hand on her shoulder and then back towards Elphie.

"It's another story for another time my precious, but all you have to know is that I am not allergic to water. I never was. Everyone just believed I was and so I used it to my advantage." Elphaba told the blonde. Glinda's face showed obvious relief.

"Plus how do you think I keep these raven tresses so sexy?" Elphaba winked at Glinda earning another blush from the blonde. For some reason Elphaba was more at ease around Glinda than she ever was with Fiyero. She found that flirting came as second nature to her. She enjoyed watching Glinda squirm.

"Oh. Right." Glinda still was blushing.

"Now if you don't mind I'd like to take a shower in peace. This concealer is starting to really itch." Elphaba scratched at the remained concealer still left on her arms and neck.

Glinda didn't move. Elphaba raised an eyebrow at the blonde. "You don't want me to take a shower in peace?" Elphaba teased.

Glinda playfully swatted at Elphaba's arm that was resting on her shoulder. "Of course I do. I just…" and she trailed off. Her voice became much softer.

"What is it my sweet?" Elphaba was concerned.

"It's just that…well…if I leave you I'm afraid this might have all been a dream." Glinda looked into Elphaba's soulful eyes asking for understanding.

Elphaba embraced the girl in front of her forgetting about her towel that fell to the floor. Glinda's breath hitched as she felt Elphaba's firm and supple breasts against the fabric of her dress. The only thing dividing the two was Elphaba's bra and that blasted dress she wore. For all the days to wear her thickest dress she chose today.

"I'm not going anywhere." She whispered into Glinda's ear.

They stood that way for a few minutes. Elphaba providing the comfort Glinda needed and Glinda greedily taking all she could get from the green girl. Glinda finally pulled away against the wishes of her body to stay close to Elphaba's.

"I know." She admitted. "I'm sorry I'm being all clingy."

Elphaba smiled. "I like the clingy." Glinda smiled back at her. "And if it makes you feel any better then I will leave the bathroom door open. You can hear my terrible singing in the shower." She tried to lighten the mood.

"I think you sing beautifully Elphie." Glinda offered up.

"You my sweet are tone deaf then." Elphaba argued. "But I will leave the door open." And with that Elphaba left no room for complaints.

"Thank you." Glinda smiled and went back out into her room to read.

They had come back to Glinda's room after their confessions in her study. Elphaba needed to clean up and Glinda needed time to prepare the spell for her glamour.

Another ten minutes passed when there was a knock on the door. Glinda cast a glance towards the bathroom where Elphaba was still showering. She went over and closed the door to the bathroom against her wishes. When she heard it click she went back over towards the door.

"Mommy!" Ella yelled as soon as her mother opened up the door to reveal her daughter being escorted by Master Toyik.

"Hey sweetheart." She picked Ella up in her arms and thought about what she was going to tell her daughter about their new guest.

"That little tyke got into half of the ice cream stash." Leland pointed a finger at Ella. Ella stuck her tongue out at the guard who tattled on her.

"Behave Ella." Glinda commanded. Ella immediately stopped. Glinda then looked back up towards Leland. "Thank you for letting me know Master Toyik. I will deal with this accordingly." She shot a glance over at Ella who hid her head between her hands.

"No problem Miss Glinda." Leland looked around the room. "Is Miss Iris still here?" he had a disappointed tone in his voice, as he couldn't seem to find Iris anywhere.

"She is actually." Glinda motioned towards the shower. Leland looked relieved. "She will be staying her tonight and I am not sure how much longer. She has asked for a job and I have given her the position of personal secretary." Glinda made up on the spot.

"Oh that's fantastic." Leland perked at the thought of getting to see Iris more frequently now. "Do you want to have a guest bed set up?" he asked.

Glinda thought for a moment. She knew the proper thing to do would be to accept his offer and let Elphaba stay in guest suites. She still felt a hesitance to let Elphaba leave her alone for the night. "Thank you Master Toyik but that will be unnecessary." She finally decided. "Miss Iris has been through a great deal and so tonight she will stay with me."

"All right Miss Glinda." He didn't second-guess her reasons. "If you change your mind just let me know."

"Thank you." The door shut behind him leaving Glinda and Ella in the room.

"Hey sweetheart mommy has something very important to discuss with you." Glinda tried to be as serious with her daughter as she could.

"I'm sorry about the ice cream." Ella hung her head. Glinda laughed a little.

"This isn't about the ice cream sweetie." Glinda told her daughter.

Ella perked up. "Really?" Her joy returned to her face.

"We have all raided the ice cream pantry at some point in our lives." She winked at her daughter who giggled.

"This is much more important." She went back into serious mode. "You know the lady you said you saw in the bushes earlier?" she asked her daughter.

Ella nodded in remembrance.

"Well she is here right now." Glinda pointed towards the door where Elphaba was taking a shower.

"Really?" Ella's eyes got big. Her enthusiasm made Glinda smile.

"Really. And she is a very good friend of mommy's so I want you to treat her with respect." Glinda looked towards her daughter. "And there is one other thing…can you keep a secret Ella?"

The two-year old nodded her head anxious to hear the secret.

"Only you and I know she is green. Everyone else sees her as the same color as you and me." Glinda tried to get through to her daughter that this was important.

"Why can we only see her green?" she asked her mother.

"Because we are special Ella." Glinda tapped her daughter's nose. "We are two of a kind, you and me."

Ella couldn't contain her excitement.

Just then Elphaba emerged from the bathroom wrapped in the same towel as before. She saw that Ella was now in the room and turned back towards the bathroom to get dressed.

"Elphie wait." Glinda got up from where she was and walked over to the green girl.

"There is someone I want you to officially meet." She smiled and grabbed Elphaba's hand and led her back over to where her daughter sat.

"Ella sweetheart, this is Elphaba. Elphaba this is Ella." Glinda introduced the two. She had dreamed about this day for so long never realizing it could become a reality.

"Nice to officially meet you Ella." Elphaba waved towards Ella unsure of what she should do. The two-year old looked up at her and giggled. It was the same contagious giggle that Glinda had.

"Hi. Is she your best friend?" she asked Elphaba motioning over towards her mother.

Elphaba smiled over at Glinda. "She is my everything."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

It took all of Glinda's strength not to fall to the ground at that moment, for Elphaba's words had left her weak in the knees. She couldn't believe how much she loved the woman next to her. She had long ago settled on the idea that she would never find true love.

"Mommy you're red." Ella pointed out which made Glinda turn even redder.

"Red and green aren't quite as flattering and pink and green." Elphaba laughed. Glinda turned her head away to hide her further embarrassment.

Elphaba bent down so she was face to face with Ella. "Can I ask you to do me a favor?"

Ella shook her head in response. The green girl leaned towards Glinda's daughter and whispered something in her ear that Glinda could not hear. Glinda watched her daughters face change from curious to excited. Elphaba backed away from the younger girl and flashed her a smile.

"So you can do that?" she confirmed. Glinda still had no idea what Elphaba had asked her daughter to do. Ella giggled and shook her head. "Perfect." The green girl stood back up.

"What on earth was that about?" Glinda was curious.

"You'll see in time." Elphaba's answer left Glinda with a pout on her face. She didn't like waiting around.

"Hey sweetheart mommy still needs to talk to Elphaba about some stuff. Can you go in your room and play with your toys?" Glinda asked her daughter. Ella was not too keen on the idea of leaving her mother and so she put up a protest.

"But I don't want to go." The two-year old whined. Glinda picked her daughter up.

"I know you don't and I don't want you to go but you have to." Glinda commanded. Ella pouted. It was the same adorable pout that Glinda used to get her way. Elphaba smiled at the interaction between mother and daughter.

"No." Ella pouted some more.

"Please?" Glinda asked nicely. "I know someone who has a birthday coming up and I'm sure they would be disappointed if their party got cancelled."

"Cancelled?" Ella's eyes went wide.

"Yes cancelled."

"You're mean mommy." Ella shouted at her mother.

Glinda did not like when her daughter threw temper tantrums and especially did not like the fact that this one was being thrown in front of Elphaba.

"I will give you to the count of three to make up your mind. One…" she counted. "…Two" Ella still didn't budge. "Don't make me get to three young lady." Ella finally gave in.

"Fine. But I don't like you." She turned her head away from her mothers. Glinda hated seeing her daughter so upset and knowing she was the cause.

"But I love you." Was all Glinda said before she turned her attention back towards Elphaba. "Elphie, I'm going to go take Ella to her room. Will you be okay in here while I'm gone?"

Elphaba nodded and Glinda left the room.

The green girl laid down on Glinda's bed to think. She couldn't believe she had just called Glinda her everything out loud and in front of her daughter no less. Sure she had thought it for years now, but saying it out loud only made it seem that much more realistic. She knew she either had to do something about her feelings soon or that she would eternally stay in the friend zone. She couldn't imagine spending any more time pining over the blonde than she already had.

She continued to think through her actions over the past day, as her eyes grew tired. She closed them for a split second to think and before she knew it she had fallen asleep still wrapped in her towel.

Glinda returned sometime later after giving Ella a stern talk on how to behave in front of company. She opened the door to her room and saw Elphaba curled up asleep on top of the covers of her bed. She also noticed the compromising position the green girl was in. Her towel had risen up a couple of inches above her knee.

"Oh sweet Oz." Glinda whispered as she took in the sight. Elphaba was beautiful to her. She didn't want to get caught staring like she had before and so she went over to cover Elphaba with a cover.

"Here you are my beautiful." Glinda laid the blanket over top of Elphaba. "Sleep tight."

She then turned and went back over to her couch. She needed to put the finishing touches on her spell. She had performed glamour spells in the past, but was not exactly sure how this one would turn out, usually she glamoured one aspect of a person such as their nose or mouth. This time she would be doing a full body glamour.

She opened up her spell book and read the section on glamour's.

"Ah ha. Here it is. Full Body Glamour." She said aloud as she located the space in her book about full body glamour's.

She skimmed the section and her eyes got wide as she read the last paragraph. Her jaw dropped towards the ground and she continued to stare at the paper.

"I have to do what!" she said in disbelief. She had to have read that wrong. She went back to the start of the paragraph and read again.

_For a full body glamour, one must touch every body part they wish to be glamoured and say a quick chant. The chant is not as important as the touching and so if you forget a word then that is okay. As long as the person performing the spell keeps physical contact with the glamour recipient then it is okay._

"I have to what?!" Glinda repeated. She would have to touch Elphaba for this spell to work. That wasn't the part that worried her. The part that worried her was she would have to touch Elphaba everywhere. This was not a simple nose glamour where she just touched a nose, or arm glamour where she just touched an arm. For this kind of magic she had to touch everything.

"Oh sweet Oz." Glinda let out a sigh. She wanted to perform this glamour for Elphaba but was not sure that she could bring herself to do it. If she touched Elphaba then she knew she wouldn't be able to stop.

Glinda continued to debate whether or not to perform the glamour when Elphaba finally stirred.

"Glinda?" Elphaba groggily called from the bed. Glinda let all of her thoughts drain out as she heard Elphaba call for her.

"I'm right her sweetie." Glinda got up from the couch and headed over to the bed where Elphaba was.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep." Elphaba looked embarrassed. Glinda smiled.

"It's okay. You needed it."

"Oh thanks." Elphaba sarcastically responded. "Did I really look that horrible?" she continued to tease the blonde.

"You looked beautiful before, but even better now." Glinda smiled. She was unwilling to take Elphie's bait. She had something to discuss with her.

"Elphie we need to talk about the glamour spell." Glinda looked away. She didn't want to face Elphaba when she told her what she had found out.

"Okay but can I change first?" Elphaba nodded at her current attire.

"Actually it's best you stay like that." Glinda responded which earned a raised eyebrow from the green witch.

"I'm intrigued. Please continue." Elphaba encouraged the blonde to continue.

"It's about the glamour. I was reading how to do a full body one and…" Glinda's face went red. "It says I need to touch you." She whispered. Elphaba couldn't hear.

"You need to what?" Elphaba asked the blonde to repeat what she had just said.

"Touch you." Glinda continued to whisper. Elphaba still couldn't quite hear.

"Glinda, honestly, you need to just come out and say it."

"I need to touch you Elphie!" Glinda said loudly enough she was on the verge of a scream.

Elphaba's eyes went wide and her face turned a darker green. "Oh." She tried to respond coolly.

"In order for the glamour to work I have to touch every body part I wish to glamour." Glinda tried to explain logically.

Elphaba continued to look dazed. She wanted Glinda to touch her so badly but knew that if she did she wouldn't want her to stop.

"_No Elphie. Don't think like that. This is for scientific purposes. You can't let yourself get carried away." _The green girl tried to convince herself that this was the right thing to do.

"Well if that's what it requires…then I guess we have to do it." Elphaba nervously said.

Glinda's eyes went wide. _"Do it?! They didn't have to do it for this to work."_

"I don't mean have sex Elphie." Glinda blushed. Elphaba realized what she had said and hit herself on the head for not being clearer.

"I didn't mean to say do it as in _do it. _I meant that let's do the whole touching thing." Elphaba clarified. Her skin had turned a shade of green she had never seen before.

"Oh." Glinda slapped herself in the head. Of course Elphie meant do it as in the exercise.

"When should we do the exercise?" Elphaba made sure to choose her words wisely this time.

"Well Ella is with her nanny right now and the sooner we do the glamour the safer it will be for you." Glinda looked up towards Elphaba.

"All right." Elphaba's voice shook. She had always imagined Glinda touching her, but never in a million years thought the reason behind it would be magic.

"Elphie I don't have to touch everything you know. Only the parts people will see. Like what you did with the concealer." Glinda tried to make the situation easier on the green girl. Her motives were selfish however. She knew that it would be easier for her to avoid certain areas as to not stir up emotions.

"Oh." Elphaba almost sounded disappointed. Almost. "Well I guess that would work. I don't really plan on prancing around nude anytime soon." She tried to smile to lighten the mood.

Glinda smiled back. "I would hope not. I think Master Toyik would have himself a heart attack."

Elphaba laughed. Apparently she had not been the only one to notice the crush that Leland seemed to be developing on her.

"Let me go get the oils I need for the spell." Glinda got up from her position next to Elphaba.

"Oils?" Elphaba managed to croak out. When she finally thought she would be able to handle the touching Glinda had to go and say something about oils.

"Yes oils. For the spell to properly work I have to touch you with a specific oil on my hand." Glinda was hopping this would not be too much for Elphaba to handle. She knew personally that it was beyond her own limit.

"Oh. If it is necessary then." Elphaba found her voice. The oil thrown in the mix had thrown her off.

"You just stay tight and let me go get the stuff." Glinda reassured her and went off into the other room to gather materials.

"This should be fun." Elphaba huffed.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**A/N: If you were ever to comment on a chapter…now would be the one. I really would like feedback on this one. I need to figure out where to take the story from here. Any ideas…or suggestions? Oh and the rating is still T…but now it's a really high T. I don't want to go into M rating with this story. Sorry if that disappoints anyone.**

**Chapter 10**

Glinda returned with the special oils required for the glamour. Elphaba was still waiting on her bed nervously.

"Okay so I figured we'd start simple. I'll do your arms and face and then we'll go from there." Glinda sat on the bed and motioned for Elphaba to give her one of her arms.

Elphaba chose the right one and reached out towards Glinda. The blonde started applying the oil to her hands. Elphaba watched as the oil glistened on her pale skin. She was already getting turned on. _"Oh no. Not good." _Elphaba tried to control her emotions.

"All right Elphie for the first part of the spell I will rub the oil on your arms and say a quick chant. That simple." Glinda tried to calm Elphaba's nerves. "The second part is I will let my hand linger on the oil coated limb to let the magic settle in."

Elphaba tensed. Not only would Glinda be rubbing her down with oil, she would hold onto her afterwards. Elphaba considered backing out but knew this was the only way out of her current predicament. She just needed to push her feelings aside and concentrate.

"Okay. I trust you." Elphaba's brown eyes stared into Glinda's blue ones. Glinda stared back,

"_Okay Glinda. Get a hold of yourself. Elphie is trusting you to do this so don't screw it up." _Glinda mentally scolded herself as she let the image of Elphaba's oily limbs take over her thoughts.

Glinda grabbed hold of Elphaba's arm and began rubbing the oil up and down her arm until it coated the whole thing.

"_Mmm…this feels good." _Elphaba could not stop the smile that encompassed her lips.

"Hecatay unum formaggio potentia." Glinda chanted as she allowed her hand to linger on Elphaba's arm.

When she felt warmth protrude from her fingertips she knew it was time to move on.

"One limb down…many to go." Glinda laughed as she reached out for Elphaba's left arm.

"That wasn't too bad." Elphaba surprised herself. _"I can do this."_

"See I told you." Glinda put on her I told you so face. She began rubbing the oil on her other arm and repeated her actions from before.

"Okay two down." Glinda looked at Elphaba deciding what to work on next.

"Okay I'm going to touch your face now Elphie." Elphie drew in a quick breath.

"A...alright." she stuttered. Glinda reached up and stroked Elphaba's cheek.

"_Oh sweet Oz." _Glinda thought. _"Her skin is so soft I just want to…no. No Glinda. You can't allow yourself to think that. Keep focused."_

Elphaba felt Glinda caress her cheek. She wanted to reach up and still her hand right there. Thankfully Glinda moved her hand onto her forehead.

When Glinda was done with the spell on her face she looked down to see what was still un-oiled.

"Okay Elphie this next part might be a little tough. I need to do your legs." Glinda told the girl in front of her.

"That doesn't sound so bad." Elphie joked.

Glinda had not caught on to the joking tone in her voice and decided she should explain exactly why this area was problematic. "Well it might not sound it but it actually is. For it to be convincing I have to glamour your whole leg. Including the top of your thigh." Glinda looked away and blushed. "Your inner thigh too."

Elphaba shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Glinda was about to run her hands up and down her legs. She would be just inches from where she wished Glinda's hands would really go. The thought of this made her also blush. "Oh." Was all she responded.

Glinda lifted up the bottle of oil and poured more onto her hands. She had wanted to run her hands up and down Elphaba, but for different reasons. She didn't want to stop when she got into Elphie's private area. She shook the thought from her mind and started on the tedious task of applying the cold liquid to the green girls body.

First she started with Elphaba's feet and shins and gradually worked her way higher. She was around Elphaba's kneecap when she felt Elphaba grab her arm. Afraid she had done something to hurt the green girl, she looked up to meet Elphaba's brown eyes.

"I trust you." Elphaba managed to get out before she released Glinda's hand and closed her eyes. She knew she wouldn't be able to look at Glinda moving so close to her center without her actually moving inside.

Glinda mentally sighed. Elphaba was expecting so much from the blonde and the blonde couldn't betray that trust. She needed to get her dirty thoughts from her mind and perform the task at hand.

She went back to rubbing oil as she slowly inched upwards. She stayed on the outsides of Elphaba's thighs all the way up until they were all coated in oil. There was only one more spot left. She took a deep breath as she inched her fingers on the inside of Elphaba's thighs.

Elphaba's breath hitched as she felt Glinda so close to her center. She suppressed a moan that threatened to escape her lips. _"This isn't sexual. This isn't sexual." _She had to repeat over and over in her head.

Elphaba was still wearing a towel that covered most of her body. It was beginning to get in the way the higher Glinda moved.

"Elphie sweetheart, I need you to lift your towel a little for me." Glinda nervously asked the green girl. Elphaba finally opened her eyes and looked down at where Glinda's hands were.

"_Oh sweet Oz." _her breathing becoming more irregular by the minute. She had barely comprehended Glinda's words.

"Elphie did you hear me?" The blonde girls voice shook. Elphaba nodded and slowly lifted her towel up a little.

Glinda gasped as she caught a glimpse of what she had been longing for since Elphaba came back into her life. She turned a brighter pink than she had ever been. Biting her lip to escape any noises she made, the last few centimeters of her journey proved very difficult. What should have taken friends no time at all seemed to take the two forever. Glinda made sure that Elphaba was as comfortable as she could possibly be.

Elphaba heard Glinda's gasp as she caught sight of her private area. She moved her hand to cover up when Glinda continued her way upwards with the oil. It felt too good to be self-conscious anymore so she removed her hand. She had to stifle a moan that threatened to come out.

When glamouring the legs was all over both girls looked very flushed and relieved. One leg was bad enough, but having to do two had really taken its toll on the two of them.

"Okay well that was an experience." Elphaba didn't bother to lie. She knew Glinda would feel awkward after that too.

"Yes it was." Glinda smiled nervously. What had just transpired between the two was intimate in every way. She knew that Elphaba would never have let her do that if it were not one hundred percent necessary. "Now the chest."

Elphaba's eyes opened wide. She knew the leg area would be problematic but she knew the chest would be even worse.

"Why the chest? I thought you only said where people could see!" Elphaba panicked. She did not want Glinda touching her chest. Her chest was her weak spot. Whenever she and Fiyero had made love he knew that was the area to push her over the edge.

Glinda noticed Elphaba's shift with the whole situation and mentally scolded herself. _"Damn it. I should have told her this before. Now look what I've done."_

"In case you ever wear anything low cut Elphie. There are many dresses now a days that cut off right at the bust." Glinda tried to convince the green girl. The blonde knew the whole glamour would be useless without this.

It took a lot of hesitance and convincing before Elphaba finally agreed to let Glinda touch her there.

"I have to warn you." She whispered. "My chest is sort of a problematic area. I'm not going to be able to control what happens." Elphaba was ashamed to have to give Glinda a forewarning. She had wanted Glinda to happily find that out herself over time.

Glinda tensed up. She really had to be in control now and not let her emotions get the best of her, if not for her than for Elphaba. She loved Elphaba too much to compromise anything.

She poured some more oil onto her hands this time warming it between her palms.

"Okay Elphie, lower your towel some." She timidly asked the green girl. Elphaba reluctantly responded and lowered the towel a couple of inches still covering up her breasts.

Glinda reached forward and began with Elphaba's shoulder. She smothered the front and back pretty good and then moved down a little. She heard Elphaba gasp as she grazed the top of her breasts.

"It's okay sweetie. I'm not going to hurt you." Glinda reassured the girl.

"I'm not worried about you hurting me." Elphaba managed between gritted teeth. She kept her eyes staring at the carpet.

"Then what are you worried about?" Glinda continued to rub across the green girl's chest causing Elphaba's eyes to roll back in delight.

"You." She managed to get out. Glinda moved a little further down and continued to rub her with oil.

"Why?" Glinda asked. She was trying to keep the girl talking to distract herself from the sight in front of her. She was almost finished with the upper half of Elphaba's breasts when she heard the green girl let out a soft moan. She felt Elphaba's heart race between her chest.

Glinda stilled her hand on Elphaba's heart and looked up from where she had previously been staring. She was met with brown eyes that had a look in them she had never seen before. The look of desire.

Elphaba stared straight ahead at the blonde who still had her hand rested on her chest. No matter how long she tried to ignore it, her desire built up within her. She was now at a breaking point. She knew in that moment that she either needed to kiss Glinda for all she was worth or she could pretend nothing ever happened and tell her to stop the glamour.

Glinda moved her still hand down towards Elphaba's that was cupping the towel tightly to her chest. She placed her hand on top of the green one and slowly leaned forward towards Elphaba. She needed to settle this once and for all.

Elphaba felt Glinda's had on top of hers and leaned forward towards the blonde. She didn't care about consequences anymore. She needed the blonde and nothing else would satisfy her desire.

Their lips clashed in a fierce kiss. Elphaba moaned into the kiss as she felt Glinda kissing her back with fervor. Glinda moved her hand that lay on her lap and brought it behind Elphaba's head pulling her closer.

Glinda parted her lips slightly allowing Elphaba to enter. Elphaba wasted no time in exploring Glinda's mouth. She tasted sweet, just like Elphaba had always imagined.

The raw emotions that both of them felt for each other came to the surface.

Elphaba continued to ardently kiss Glinda as she leaned back into the bed pulling Glinda on top of her. Blonde curls cascaded around both of their faces creating their own separate world. Glinda moved her hand that was placed on top of Elphaba's to gently caress the areas untouched by the oil.

Elphaba was the first to pull away from the kiss when she required a moment to breath. Panting heavily she looked up at the beautiful blonde on top of her.

"I warned you about that spot." Elphaba smiled when she heard Glinda pout at the interruption of their activities.

"Oh shut up and kiss me." Glinda leaned back down and kissed Elphaba with as much vigor as before.

Elphaba's entire insides felt as if they were going to explode. She had dreamt about this day for years and now it was becoming a reality. Glinda's lips were just as soft as she would have guessed. The smell of scented oil and craving infused the air around them.

Elphaba reached up and ran her hands through the blonde's hair never breaking their kiss. Glinda responded with a quiet whimper. She broke their kiss to look up into Elphie's eyes. She saw in those eyes pure love and adoration. Her heart nearly broke as she thought of all the years she had gone without this. Now that she found it she was never going to let it go.

"I love you Elphie." Glinda could no longer deny her true feelings. She had loved Elphaba since Shiz but never had the guts to do anything about it. She had always followed the crowd and did what was acceptable in society. Now she deserved to be happy and indulge in the one thing she desired.

"I love you too Glin." Elphaba smiled up at the girl and in one swift move flipped her over so she was on top. Glinda giggled at this sudden change in position. Her giggles were replaced with a throaty moan as she felt Elphaba reach down and place kisses along her neck. Elphaba's weak spot may be her breasts but Glinda's was her neck.

"Mmm Elphie, that feels nice." She praised the girl on top of her.

Elphaba's only response was to kiss with more force driving Glinda crazy.

Glinda couldn't stand the lack of contact anymore. She needed all of Elphaba. Timidly she reached her hand up and found the one clasp on the towel. Seeking permission in Elphaba's eyes and receiving it she slowly undid the knot. The towel fell down in between them and Glinda quickly replaced where it had been with her hands. She needed to experience all of Elphaba.

Elphaba gasped as she felt the cool breeze take over her body. It didn't take long before her body was warmed back up with Glinda's loving hands. The blonde's hands were making figure eights on her left breast.

"Glinda." Elphaba moaned into Glinda's neck. She found the blonde to be wearing too many clothes for her liking. She moved her hand to Glinda's neck slowly unbuttoning the dress she had on.

"I love you so much Elphie." Glinda responded when she felt Elphaba reach for her buttons.

Glinda needed to hear that Elphaba loved her again. She was afraid the first time was just a dream.

"I love you too. Now be quiet and let me make love to you." Elphaba whispered into her ear before lightly sucking on the lobe earning a moan from the blonde.

Elphaba knew all of Glinda's insecurities and tried to calm her fears. She was not going anywhere ever again.

Glinda shivered in anticipation. It had been so long since she had had sex she was beginning to forget how good it could feel.

"This is how I imaged my first time." Glinda moved her body underneath the green girls shifting so that their pelvises made perfect contact. "I wanted it to be with you."

Elphaba knew that she could not change Glinda's first sexual experience but she could make up for it. She would take time to care for the blonde. She would make sure she felt comfortable in everyway. She would go as slow as the blonde needed.

Glinda and Elphaba spent the rest of the day making love to each other. All thoughts of the outside world were forgotten. For that night it was just the two of them. No daughters existed, no guards, no staff, no one. It was the two of them and the love they shared for one another.

**A/N #2: So I actually had this as going into M rating but then decided it'd be best to keep it a little cleaner. Not going to lie, I suck at writing sex scenes. Haha. So this is the closest you'll probably ever get out of me. With that said…I'm sorry if it seemed a little choppy at the end. I cut out a whole page of just horrible writing.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Just wanted to say a quick thanks to my loyal readers and reviewers. So Thanks!!**

**Chapter 11**

It was mid morning before either girl woke up. Elphaba was the first to stir. She flipped over in bed wanting to go back to sleep but was met with a blonde girl cuddled up right next to her. Her eyes opened slowly and a smile grazed her face as the memories of last night came flooding back in.

"Good Morning my sweet." Elphaba kissed up Glinda's back attempting to wake the girl softly.

"Mmm." Glinda awoke to the green girl kissing around her neck. She kept her eyes closed and scooted back towards Elphaba.

The green woman wasted no time in wrapping her arms around the blonde that was now snuggled against her.

"I like waking up like this." Glinda finally responded after a few minutes of more snuggling.

"Me too." Elphaba smiled and kissed Glinda's cheek. The blonde smiled as she remembered the passionate night the two of them had spent together.

"I don't ever want to wake up any other way." Glinda emphasized.

"I don't want to either. I love you with all that I am." Elphaba squeezed the blonde in her arms a little tighter.

Glinda felt the embrace that Elphaba had her in and relished every moment of it. Slowly she turned around so she was face to face with the green woman.

"I love you too." She kissed Elphaba's nose and reverted to staring into the brown eyes lovingly.

The two continued to stare at each other memorizing every detail of the other's face; Elphaba holding on tightly to the girl in front of her and Glinda allowing herself to be held. They moved forward to kiss when a knock interrupted their activites.

"Damn it." Glinda let out a frusterated sigh. Elphaba had the same thought but a smile came across her face. Glinda was so cute when she was upset or frustrated.

"Time to face the world I guess." Glinda got up and went over towards the door. "Just a moment." She called before quickly going to her closet to throw on a dress for the day. The old Glinda would have been appaled at how quickly this Glinda chose an outfit.

Elphaba in the mean time gathered her clothes from the day before and took them into the bathroom to get changed.

Once Glinda was finished dressing and making sure Elphaba was hidden, she went over to the door to see who it was.

"Hello Miss Glinda. Good afternoon." Leland greeted Glinda.

Glinda immediately became annoyed when she saw who it was at the door. "Is it really the afternoon? My how time just flew by." She put on a fake smile.

"Yes it has. Actually Miss Glinda I was hear to ask about how Miss Iris is doing." The guard looked into the room to see if there was any sight of the girl. The only think he noticed was Glinda's bed was still unmade.

"She is doing just fine." Glinda suppressed a giggle. Elphaba was doing more than fine after what she did to the green girl last night.

"Good. That's good." Leland beamed. He was happy that Iris was adjusting herself so easily. "Do you think maybe she would have lunch with me if I asked?" He stared at Glinda for advice.

Glinda's eyes narrowed as she thought of her Elphie going out on a date with anyone else besides her. "I don't know if that is the best idea right now Master Toyik. She is still coping with the effects of her encounter yesterday." Glinda lied through her teeth.

Leland looked disappointed. "Oh all right. Well can you at least tell her that I came by to check on her? And also that my offer is still good if she changes her mind."

"Of course I will." Glinda smiled up at the man. "Thanks for everything Master Toyik."

"No problem Miss Glinda. It is my honor to serve you." He bowed his head and started to leave.

"Oh hey Master Toyik!" Glinda called and Leland turned around to face the blonde. "Can you tell Ella's nanny that I will be another hour or so before I will be able to see her. I need to shower first and then we can have lunch on the balcony."

"Oh course." He agreed and walked off.

Glinda shut the door and sighed. Sooner or later she was going to have to do something about Leland but she didn't know what. "Elphie you can come out now." She called to the bathroom where she was sure the green girl had gone off to.

Elphaba emerged in the same shabby clothes as the day before. Glinda took one look and shook her head. "No way. You are changing missy."

"But I have nothing else to wear." Elphaba countered.

Glinda walked over to her closet and shuffled through a few of her clothes. "Here try this on." She handed it over to Elphaba.

"But it's pink." Elphaba protested. "It would clash with my skin tone."

Glinda smiled back. "Maybe the green Elphaba, but the new Elphaba will not clash. It will look quite flattering actually."

"But you will see me in it and I will still be green." Elphaba tried to defend her reasons for not wanted to wear the dress.

"If it were truly up to my preference then you would be wearing no clothes." Glinda's eyes went wide as an idea came to her head.

"Oh no. That doesn't look good." Elphaba spoke out loud more to herself than to Glinda.

"I could glamour clothes on you!" Glinda squealed and bounced over to wear Elphaba was.

Elphaba rolled her eyes. Did Glinda seriously think that she would allow her to do such a thing?

"I can picture it now. You all naked and sexy." She grinned and continued to visualize Elphaba going about normal tasks without clothes on.

"No." Elphaba said flatly.

"Please?" Glinda pouted.

"No." Elphaba stood her ground.

"Fine." Glinda flung her arms up in the air. "The things I do for you mean green thing." She teased the green girl.

Elphaba had to raise an eyebrow. "This would be for my benefit eh? Not your own?"

"That's just an added bonus." Glinda giggled and then wrapped her arms around Elphaba. "I love you." She sighed into the green girl's shoulder.

"And I love you…even if you are being difficult." Elphaba added in an after thought. "But now I need a shower to look all pretty for my debut as Iris, personal secretary of Miss Glinda Upland."

"Stop that." Glinda slapped at Elphaba's arm. "And I need one too." She smiled seductively as a thought came to her mind. "Care if I join you?" she winked at Elphaba.

"I thought the point was to get clean, not dirty." Elphaba said in a serious tone.

"Oh hush you and go start the shower." Glinda pushed Elphaba in the way of the shower.

Elphaba walked away from the blonde with a smile on her face. Not only did she get to see all of Glinda last night she would get to see all of her in just a few minutes.

"And don't make it too warm! I plan on warming it up myself!" Glinda called after Elphaba. She heard the green girl laugh as she disappeared into the bathroom.

Glinda heard the shower start and went over to her wardrobe. Hopefully she would find something a little more acceptable for Elphaba than the pink dress.

"Are you coming to join me or will I have to call Leland to help me warm it up?" She heard Elphaba tease her from the bathroom.

"Don't you dare!" Glinda called back and quickly walked over to where the bathroom was. She shimmied out of the dress she had thrown on to answer the door and quickly placed one leg into the shower, surprised that Elphaba had actually listened to her about the temperature.

"I missed you." Elphaba greeted the newcomer and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"I'm still mad at you." Glinda huffed and turned her head away. Elphaba looked confused.

"What for my sweet?"

"For teasing me about Master Toyik. That wasn't funny." Glinda really seemed upset. Elphaba had been unaware her words would cause that emotion.

"I'm sorry my sweet." She responded and wrapped her arms around Glinda to give her an apologetic hug.

Glinda resisted for a few seconds and eventually allowed herself to be held. "That was him at the door this morning." Glinda casually said as she let go of Elphaba.

"Really?" Elphaba looked surprised. "What did he want?"

"You." Glinda grabbed the bar of soap and began putting some of it on her washcloth.

"Me?" Elphaba echoed. Why would Leland want her?

"He asked if I would ask you to go to lunch with him." Glinda began rubbing her legs with the washcloth.

"And what did you say?" Elphaba took the washcloth from Glinda. "Here allow me." She continued on the same path Glinda was on.

"You were busy." Glinda sighed.

"What's wrong my sweet?" Elphaba continued to wash Glinda's legs off.

"I don't know." Glinda huffed. "I just don't like him hanging around asking how you are doing. I want to be the only one taking care of you." She lifted her other leg up for Elphaba to wash.

"Then tell him I am involved with someone." Elphaba suggested.

"I can't just tell them we are a couple yet. These things have to develop over time." Glinda seemed sad.

Elphaba noticed Glinda's mood shift from jealous to gloomy. She wanted to prevent this as much as possible. "Then I will just tell him I only like the company of other women. That will drive him away."

"Other women eh? I'm not enough for you?" Glinda teased.

"Oh you are more than enough." Elphaba leaned over and kissed Glinda softly on the lips. "And if that is what you wish for me to do then I will do it."

Glinda thought for a moment. Surely this would be the easier way to take Leland out of the situation but she still remained unsure. "I guess that would work."

Elphaba noticed Glinda's hesitance. She gained from her reaction that she still had an unanswered question. "What is it my sweet? What is bothering you?"

Glinda sighed at getting caught. Obviously she was worse at this whole hiding her feelings thing than she thought. "I need to know something Elphie. It's not really related to Leland, but it is related to what we are talking about."

"All right. Shoot." Elphaba reached out and grabbed Glinda's hand to hold it. What the blonde had to say was obviously important enough for her to feel troubled.

"You said that we could tell him you only like other women." Glinda stated.

"Yes?" Elphaba encouraged her to continue.

"Well this is probably a stupid question and I know its unfounded but…"

"No question is a stupid question." Elphaba squeezed Glinda's hand in reassurance.

"Have you always liked other women or am I the only one?" Glinda breathed a sigh of relief once she had asked the question. Her part was done, now it was up to Elphaba to respond.

This question threw Elphaba off track a little. She had not been expecting this question and didn't exactly know how to respond.

"Well I suppose I have always preferred women over men." Elphaba finally managed to get out. "Before you, there was this one girl in my chemistry class I found rather attractive." Elphaba found no reason to lie to the blonde. "Fiyero was the only male I ever found somewhat attractive and even then I think it was forced."

This is not how Glinda had wanted Elphaba to reply. She wished she would say that Glinda was the only woman for her. Knowing another woman could turn on Elphaba was unnerving. For some reason she didn't see men as a threat, but another woman was a huge one.

Elphaba noticed the somber look in Glinda's eyes and immediately regretted her answer. She should have lied to the blonde. "I'm sorry if that upsets you."

Glinda looked away from Elphaba's eyes to their clasped hands. "It does." She responded truthfully.

Elphaba was mentally attacking herself for being so stupid. Of course she had always liked women but she shouldn't have called another woman attractive in front of her girlfriend.

Elphaba was surprised when Glinda continued to speak.

"I can't say that I have ever found another woman attractive besides you." She truthfully said. "You are the first woman I have ever felt anything more than friendship towards."

Elphaba was a little concerned by Glinda's answer. What if Glinda left her for a man? She wouldn't be able to stand that. The thought of gross male hands touching her lover made her queasy.

The two of them stood in silence for awhile allowing the lukewarm water to pound down on their bodies. Neither one knew what to say to each other.

"I think I'm clean." Glinda finally spoke up. She needed to get a move on with her day and have lunch with her daughter, her daughter that she had neglected almost all day yesterday because she was too wrapped up in Elphaba.

"Me too." Elphaba turned off the water and grabbed a towel for both of them.

They toweled off in silence and when they were finally dressed, Elphaba in a dark purple dress instead of a pink one, they spoke to one another.

"I'm sorry if I seem to be in a weird funk Elphie. Your answer just kind of threw me for a loop." Glinda brushed her hair.

"How so?" Elphaba was interested to know why Glinda had seemed so upset earlier.

"I can't imagine being with another women, much less you being with one." Glinda stared into Elphaba's eyes with unshed tears.

"Then good thing that will never happen because I will never leave you." Elphaba wiped the tears that fell from Glinda's eyes.

"Oh Elphie I'm so sorry I was being difficult before." Glinda reprimanded herself for her attitude earlier.

"I wouldn't have you any other way." Elphaba kissed the top of Glinda's head. "And I am sorry that I was upset with your answer as well."

"You were?" Glinda perked up. Apparently she was not the only one to overact.

"Very much so. The thought of you with another man was unsettling."

"Then good then you have nothing to worry about. I'm a one person kind of gal." Glinda winked up at Elphaba who laughed.

"Sweet Oz let's hope so."

"Now I should probably go get my daughter some food." Glinda motioned in the direction of the door.

"You cook?" Elphaba looked surprised.

"Not me silly. I am going to tell our cook to prepare something for us. Will you please join us for lunch?" the blonde asked hopeful.

"How else would I get fed? Go to lunch with Leland?" Elphaba joked.

"Oh you are incorrigible." Glinda shot back.

"Desirable." Elphba counted back and took Glinda's hand as they headed towards the door.

"Unruly." Glinda sing-songed.

"Intelligent." Elphaba continued to defend herself.

"Mean!"

"Lovable!" Elphaba countered as they opened the door to the outside world.

"Okay so I won't argue with that one." Glinda smiled up at Elphaba would felt as if she had won a small battle. "Ready to face the world?"

"Lead the way." Elphaba and Glinda walked hand in hand towards Ella's room.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I'm back from vacation in one piece! Yay! This means more regular updates for you guise, which I'm sure y'all will appreciate. I might not update tomorrow though because it's a big day for me! I'm going to the Idina Menzel concert!! Yes...be jealous...haha.**

**Chapter 12**

"Ella sweetheart use your fork." Glinda chastised her daughter. "That is no way for a lady to eat."

"But she's doing it." Ella pointed her finger over at Elphaba who was in fact eating her piece of chicken with her fingers.

At seeing Ella point at her she looked up from her plate and was met with Glinda's piercing blue eyes.

"Elphie I swear, I am trying to teach a two year old how to eat properly, I don't need to be re-teaching you." There was a teasing tone in Glinda's voice that Elphaba couldn't help notice.

"Sorry." The green woman sheepishly smiled and put down her food and picked up a fork.

"Now that's better." Glinda appraised Elphaba like she had been doing her two-year-old daughter. Elphaba just smiled back at her before winking.

Glinda turned back around to face her daughter. "See honey she is using a fork too." Glinda pointed back at Elphaba who had once again gone back into her own world.

Ella pouted as she picked up her fork unable to hold it properly. "But this way is hard."

"I know it is right now but if you keep it up it will get easier." Glinda encouraged her daughter. "Plus don't you want to impress all your friends at your third birthday party coming up?"

Ella's face lit up as she thought of her birthday party. "Yes!"

"Then practice and soon you will have it down." Glinda smiled at Ella.

"I guess so." Ella huffed and went about trying to gather food on a fork that was twice the size of her little hand.

The rest of lunch went smoothly. Mother and daughter joked with each other as usual only this time with Elphaba's input. It was how Glinda always imagined family meals to be. After they were all done eating, the three of them sat around the table talking casually with one another. Glinda was debating whether or not to tell Ella of her relationship with Elphaba just yet. It might freak her out.

She decided later would probably be better. Ella was almost three. She didn't know what relationships really were.

"Hey Glin I'm not feeling so great. I think I'm going to head up to your room." Elphaba got up from the table. Her stomach had been bothering her for the past hour or so. She figured it was something she must have eaten.

"_Our_ room. Not _my_ room." Glinda corrected Elphaba. "And are you sure you're okay? Do you want me to come with you?" She asked Elphaba with concern on her face.

"No I'll be fine. I just need to rest a bit." Elphaba smiled weakly at Glinda and then excused herself from the table leaving Ella and Glinda alone.

"Why's she sick?" Ella asked her mother. Elphaba had appeared normal and healthy to her.

"I don't know sweetheart. Must have been something she ate." Glinda told her daughter. "How about we go swimming this afternoon. Would you like that?"

Ella's face lit up at the idea of swimming. The two year old loved nothing more than sitting in her pool. She was still too little to swim without the help of her mother. It was the only true bonding time they ever truly got in. Her mom was always busy with state affairs and meetings.

"Yeah!" Ella cheered.

"All right well you go get on your swimsuit and I'll go get on mine. The nanny will assist you if you need help." Glinda got up from the table and helped her daughter from her booster seat.

"Okay!" Ella ran into the house at full speed upstairs to go get changed. Glinda lingered a little behind her to admire the joy her daughter felt. She smiled as she walked up the chairs to go get changed and check on Elphie.

When Glinda reached her room she was not met with a sleeping Elphie like she had expected. Instead she was met with the sound of someone throwing up in the bathroom. Worriedly she walked over to check on Elphie.

"Elphie sweetie what's wrong?" Glinda knelt down next to the green woman who hovered over the toilet seat.

"I guess the soup didn't agree with me." Elphaba tried to shield her face from Glinda. She knew she had to have looked horrible.

"I'm sorry sweetie." Glinda wrapped her arm around Elphaba.

"Don't get so close my sweet. I don't want you catching what I have." Elphaba tried to discourage Glinda from touching her.

"I'd go a thousand days of being sick if it would make you feel better." Glinda would not let go of Elphie.

Just then Elphaba turned her head back towards the toilet and another sound filled the air. Glinda went and held back her hair.

"Sweetie I don't want to leave you like this but I promised Ella we'd go swimming and I can't quite cancel that. You don't know how hard it is to cancel plans on a two-year old." Glinda tried to make Elphaba smile. She succeeded.

"All right but don't be gone too long. I miss you when you're gone." Elphaba smiled up at the blonde who had risen to leave the room.

"I won't." Glinda reached down and stroked the side of Elphaba's face. She hated that she couldn't stay with her but she knew she was needed elsewhere. She had ignored her daughter enough yesterday that she had to make up for it.

After Glinda was changed into her bathing suit she called to check in on Elphaba once again. When she received a grunt she figured that was all she was going to get from the green girl.

"I hope you feel better my love." She said before walking out of the door and heading down towards Ella's room.

**XXX**

Elphaba heard Glinda tell her to feel better before exiting the room. The green girl had hoped Glinda would stay with her but she knew that was selfish. Glinda had a daughter now. Elphaba could not be her only priority.

About fifteen minutes after Glinda had left the vomiting stopped. Elphaba was suddenly feeling a lot better.

"Damn chowder." She cursed the soup as she got up. She desperately needed a shower and to brush her teeth.

She went to go get her clothes to change into from the room. While she was in the room she wrote Glinda a quick note telling her that she felt better. She was not sure if the blonde would get the note or not before returning from her trip.

Once that was all situated she went into the bathroom and turned the shower on. She needed to take a long hot shower. The effects of what just happened caused her abs to ache.

**XXX**

"Mommy!" Ella called from the door to her room when she saw her mother walk in. "I dressed all by myself!" she puffed her chest out proudly.

Glinda took one look at her daughter and burst out laughing. Ella had put on her swimsuit backwards.

"That doesn't look very comfortable sweetheart. Here let's turn this around. We can see if it's better the other way around." Glinda went over to her daughter not telling her she had it on backwards. Ella had looked so proud of herself that she didn't want to dash her excitement.

Ella let her mother turn her bathing suit around and found this way to be a lot more comfortable. "Wow mommy you're a genius!"

"I do what I can. Now ready to go?" When Ella shook her head yes Glinda picked her up and put her on her shoulders. "Here we go!"

**XXX**

Glinda and Ella arrived at the pool to find that it was empty. There was no water in sight.

"Well that's odd." Glinda said aloud as Ella began to tear up.

"Now we can't go swimming." The little girl cried into her mother's head.

"Aww c'mon honey we can go swimming some other time. I promise." Glinda reached up and sat Ella down on the bench near the pool.

"But I wanted to swim now." Ella continued to sob. Glinda hated to see her daughter become so upset. Sure it seemed nothing huge to her that the pool was closed but to a two year old it probably seemed like the world.

"Well then we will have to make our own pool." Glinda finally came up with an idea. Ella looked up at her mom.

"How?" she whimpered.

"You know those hoses used out front for watering the plants?" Glinda asked her daughter.

"Yeah." Ella's little mind was trying to think of where this was going.

"Follow me." She grabbed her daughter's hand and headed off in the direction of the front yard.

**XXX**

Leland Toyik was standing guard out front when he saw Glinda and Ella walking towards the hoses. Knowing that they would be occupied for a while he took this opportunity to go on break. Hopefully he might run into Iris on his break.

He checked the staff lounge to see if she was anywhere in sight but found no one. Trying to think of where she might be a thought hit him. She has to still be in Glinda's room.

Proud of his epiphany he went up to Glinda's room. When he reached the brown door he knocked lightly. There was no answer. He knocked a second time with a little more force. This time the door swung open slightly. It had apparently not been shut all the way.

"Hello?" He called out searching the room. "Iris?"

When he received no response he opened the door further to reveal Glinda's room. Nothing looked different from this morning. The bed was still untidy and that's when he noticed a note on one of the pillows.

His curiosity got the better of him as he went over to the pillow to retrieve the piece of parchment. Holding it up to the light he read it.

_My love,_

_I just wanted to let you know that I am feeling much better now. It must have just been something I ate. If I am still in the shower when you come back feel free to join me. I know how pools are filled with all that chlorine. I will be sure to give you a nice rubdown and maybe something extra._

_Yours forever, E.T._

Leland stood staring at the note a little while longer. Who was E.T. and why did Glinda have a secret lover that no one knew about?

Leland suddenly understood what had taken Glinda so long to answer the door this morning. Whoever E.T. was must have spent the night.

He was now very curious to find out who Glinda Upland had given her heart too after swearing to never do so again after her ex husband.

Leland glanced over to the bathroom door where the mysterious E.T. must have still been showering. He was tempted to go sneak a peak when a sound behind him frightened him.

"What are you doing here Master Toyik?" Ella's nanny came into the room. She had watched him enter Glinda's room some time ago and had yet to exit.

"I was just looking for Miss Iris." He nervously said as he laid the note back down on the bed.

"Well I don't think you'll be finding her here." The nanny leveled a glare at Leland.

Leland took no time in agreeing and he soon exited the room. He needed two things: to find out who this E.T. character was and to find Iris and get her alone.

**XXX**

"That's not fair! You're bigger than me!" Ella yelled as her mom chased her around with a hose.

"Is so!" Glinda called back. She was having so much fun with Ella. She loved the time the two of them spent together. She got to relive being a kid.

Ella continued to run when she spotted a hose nearby. Quickly picking it up she turned around and sprayed it towards her mother.

Glinda's eyes widened as she saw her two-year-old get a hold of one of the hoses. Before she could fall back Ella pointed the hose at her. Glinda stood drenched head to toe.

"You're going to get it now!" She yelled after her daughter who fled the scene of the crime.

**XXX**

Back in the room Elphie had finished her shower. She was sort of sad when the end came and there was still no Glinda. She had hoped she would find her note and join her.

Half-heartedly Elphaba went about the task of dressing. Maybe if Glinda hadn't returned by now she would go and find her.

With the finishing touches on her hair, she opened the door and exited Glinda's room.

**XXX**

Leland sat behind a big plant waiting for whomever E.T. was to show himself. When he noticed Iris leave the room he got frustrated.

"Damn! I must have missed him when that nanny drove me away!" he yelled a little louder than he hoped.

He was angry at missing his chance to find out who E.T. was but he still had one goal he needed to accomplish.

Brushing himself off he popped up from behind the plant and followed Iris.

When he was close enough to touch her he extended his arm and tapped on her shoulder.

Elphaba turned around to see who had tapped her on the shoulder and noticed whom it was.

"Oh hello Leland." She greeted the man with a smile.

"Hello Iris." He greeted back. "I have been looking all over for you. You are one hard person to catch."

Elphaba laughed nervously. If only he knew the truth then he would know she was near impossible to catch.

"Anyways I have been meaning to ask you," he continued. "Would you like to go out to dinner with me sometime?" Leland shuffled his feet nervously awaiting a response.

Elphaba heard Leland's words and suddenly felt guilty. Had she accidentally led this guy on unwillingly? Her face became soft as she tried to let him down easy.

"I would be more than happy to Leland but you see…" Elphaba suddenly became nervous. Never in her life had she openly admitted to liking other women besides to Glinda. And that was very different. She took one last deep breath. "I don't really fancy men like that."

She looked in his eyes to gauge his reaction. When all she was met with was confusion she decided a little more explanation was required.

"Leland I only like the company of other women, not men. Therefore I am flattered you asked me but I have to decline." She tried to muster as much confidence as she could.

Leland's eyes grew wide in understanding. "Oh well that's okay then I guess." He stuttered to get out and keep his cool. He wasn't sure if he was feeling more rejected by her or repulsed by her. He had never known anyone who fancied his or her own gender and never wanted to know anyone like that.

"I'm sorry if I upset you Leland." Elphaba saw the confusion in his face. "I hope that we can still be friends."

Leland watched dumbfounded as Elphaba descended down the staircase in front of him. This information he received was unsettling. No woman had ever denied him. He was a good-looking, single, tall, intelligent bachelor.

Maybe Iris liked women, but he was sure that after he got done with her she would like men again. She just had to.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Hey I just came to see how my two favorite ladies were doing." Elphaba descended the front steps where she was met by Glinda and Ella.

"Good." Glinda smiled up at Elphaba. She was drenching wet.

"How was the swimming?" The green girl went over closer to the blonde.

"We didn't go swimming." Glinda smiled leaving Elphaba confused.

"Then what did you do and why are you so wet?" She asked the blonde whose only response was to yell, "Get her!" to her two-year-old daughter.

Before Elphaba had a chance to duck Ella came up from behind her and hosed her down.

Elphaba stood drenching wet listening to Ella giggle. She then turned her attention towards Glinda who was a part of this whole charade.

"What was that for!" she innocently asked. Glinda only smiled and leaned in towards Elphaba to whisper something in her ear that Ella couldn't hear.

"I like to make you all wet." Glinda whispered and leaned back to look at the flushed face on the green girl.

"Well you succeeded." Elphaba stated and then leaned in to whisper something to the blonde. "And maybe later you will succeed again." And with that the green girl purred lightly in the blonde's ear causing her to blush this time.

"Ooo I want to know a secret!" Ella skipped over to where her mother and Elphie were located. "Tell me something!"

Elphaba had no idea what she would tell the girl in front of her so she made something up on the spot. She leant down and whispered into Ella's ears causing the girl to giggle.

"Mommy, Elphaba says you are pretty." Ella told her mother.

"Hey that was a secret!" Elphaba playfully chastised the girl for giving away her secret.

"Oops." Ella grinned up at the green woman. Elphaba just shook her head.

"The things I go through." Elphaba sighed as she picked up Ella in her arms. "How about you and I go spend some time together and leave your mommy to do her work stuff." She asked Ella.

Elphaba was aware that Glinda hadn't asked her to do this but she felt it was necessary. She needed to start spending as much bonding time with Ella as she could. Plus she was sure Glinda could use a rest.

"Okay!" The two-year-old agreed. "Mommy is that okay?" she looked over towards her mother.

"Are you sure about that Elphie?" Glinda looked into her lover's eyes. Elphaba smiled back.

"Of course I am sure. Now go have some Glinda pampering time." Elphaba flashed Glinda one of her rare but brilliant smiled. Glinda nearly melted as she felt the love radiating from the brown eyes in front of her.

"All right." She agreed and then turned towards her daughter. "And Ella this poor woman better be in the same condition when I get her back." She joked causing Ella to laugh.

"Okay mommy." Ella giggled and wrapped her arms around Elphaba's neck. "Let's go swinging!"

"She's going to wear me out isn't she?" Elphaba nodded to the figure wrapped around her and waited for a response from the blonde.

"And if she doesn't I'm sure I can take care of that later." Glinda winked and walked in the direction of her house leaving her daughter and Elphaba to play.

"Come on then Ella, we don't want the swings to rust." Elphaba walked in the direction of the swing set.

"How come mommy has to do work stuff?" Ella asked Elphaba as the green woman put her in one of the swings and began pushing.

"That's just all part of the job. Plus I was being selfish and wanted you all to myself." Elphaba continued to push.

Ella was very happy. She had played in the water earlier with her mother and now she was swinging with her mother's best friend. She was beginning to like the green girl more and more every time they hung out.

The two continued to swing for about thirty minutes until Elphaba could tell Ella was getting tired.

"Come on little one." She picked Ella up in her arms. "Time for a nap."

"But I don't want to." Ella protested and stuck out her bottom lip to pout.

"You really are your mothers daughter." Elphaba laughed as she brought Ella up to her room and placed her on her bed. "I don't know if you want me or your mom to tuck you in. Which do you want?" Elphaba asked willing to go fetch Glinda if Ella said she needed her mom.

"I like you." Ella said. For some reason Elphaba's heart was filled with happiness when Ella had said those three words.

"All right then. Do you want a naptime story? I'm not sure how these things work." Elphaba looked around the room trying to pick out a book that might be good for Ella.

When she hadn't received an answer she turned back and saw Ella was already fast asleep.

"Wow. Glinda must have really worn you out." Elphaba placed a light kiss on the top of Ella's head and exited her room closing the door behind her.

She walked down the hall to the room she now shared with Glinda. She had hoped when she said to go pamper herself Glinda had taken that literally. Elphaba knew the blonde needed some time for R&R.

As she opened the door to their room she looked around and saw no one in sight. She sighed and went over to sit on the bed to wait for Glinda to return. When she got to the bed she noticed a note from Glinda.

_Sweetie,_

_Just got your note. I'm so sorry I was unable to join you earlier. I would love to have very much. Can we take a rain check? In the meantime I have gone in to town to get some things for Ella's party. I shouldn't be longer than a few hours. If you need me send one of the messengers. I trust you to be able to handle Ella until I return. I will miss you each passing second that I am gone. I love you._

_Forever your sweet, G.U._

Elphaba smiled. She had forgotten to remove the letter from the bed before she went to go meet Glinda and Ella downstairs. It had been nearly an hour and a half since Glinda had apparently left. Elphaba was wondering how long a few hours would actually be. She hoped not long.

In the meantime she went down to the library that was in Glinda's house to look at her collection. For Glinda never liking to read, she sure had a lot of books. She skimmed the rows and finally found one that suited her. Pulling up a chair to the fireplace she began to read.

**XXX**

Glinda was out picking up some things from the baker when she accidentally bumped into someone on her way out.

"Oh! I'm sorry sir, I didn't see you there." Glinda apologized and knelt down to pick the bread up that had fallen from her basket.

"No problem Miss." The stranger knelt down and helped her pick the bread up.

It was then that Glinda looked up to see whom the stranger was that had helped her. Her eyes widened and her hands stilled as she saw the father of her child standing before her.

"Fiyero." She managed to croak out. When the stranger heard his name being called he too stilled his hand and looked up to meet Glinda's eyes.

"I…I'm sorry you have the wrong guy. I have to go." Fiyero scrambled to get up. Glinda noticed this and grabbed his arm to keep him in his position on the floor.

"Now you see here Fiyero Tiggular!" Glinda yelled. "I know that is you. You can hide from all of Oz but I am the only one that truly knows what you look like."

Fiyero gulped. He had been caught. He had gone years and years without running into her and right now of all days he had to see her.

"Fine it's me." He slumped his shoulders in defeat. "But keep your voice down okay?" he motioned to the baker who was watching their interaction with great interest.

"We need to talk." Glinda crossed her arms over her chest. She was unwilling to let him leave without at least a conversation.

"Okay. Follow me." He sighed and led her away to his castle as Kiamo Ko.

**XXX**

"Mommy!" Ella yelled in her sleep. "Mom!" Her voice was panicked. There was sweat trickling down her forehead.

Elphaba had heard the commotion from down in the library and ran up to see what was going on.

"Shh…calm down sweetie." Elphaba stroked the girl's cheek trying to awaken her. "It's a bad dream that's all."

Ella continued to thrash in her sleep unable to wake. "NO!" she cried out.

Elphaba didn't know what to do. Glinda was not here and she had never dealt with this sort of thing on her own.

"Ella calm down it's just a dream. Wake up for me." Elphaba tried to lightly shake the girl to wake. After what seemed like a minute, Ella's eyes slowly opened to show panic in them.

Elphaba wasted no time in reaching forward to grab the girl in a tight embrace.

"I want my mommy." Ella cried into Elphaba's shoulder.

"I know sweetie but she isn't here at the moment." Elphaba responded which caused the girl to cry harder,

"I want my mommy." She repeated as Elphaba gently rocked her back and forth. There was nothing else she could do for the girl until her mother returned.

**XXX**

Glinda sat on a chair in the highest tower at Kiamo Ko.

"That's Fae's favorite chair." Fiyero smiled at where Glinda chose to sit.

"It has a nice view." Glinda tried to not let the comment bother her. She knew Elphaba had been living with him for three years, but seeing the actual place they shared was heartbreaking.

"The only room with a view is a room with you in it. You are still as beautiful as ever." Fiyero complimented the blonde.

Glinda tried to ignore it. She loathed Fiyero for what he did to her.

"Look I brought you here because I thought you wanted to talk. So stop ignoring me please." Fiyero was growing irritated. Glinda turned from looking out the window and met Fiyero's eyes.

"How could you?" her voice was barely audible.

"How could I what?" he played innocent.

"How could you not tell Elphaba I was pregnant?" Glinda shot towards him. She knew he had been playing dumb before.

"We were trying to start out own family. I thought knowing that might interfere." Fiyero honestly said. He knew how news of Glinda always offset Elphaba's mood for some reason.

"You were what?" Glinda asked. Had he just start a family?

"Fae was trying to get pregnant. I thought that any news of you might throw her off like it always did. I needed to look out for our family."

"_Our_ family! What about the family you started with me and our daughter? What about that Fiyero!" Glinda angrily shouted. She thought everything that came from his mouth had to be a lie. Elphaba would never want to start a family with Fiyero.

"I was in love with Elphaba the first minute I laid eyes on her Glinda. You should know this by now." Fiyero sighed. He had always loved Elphaba.

"So you slept with me because why? Because you needed to prove to her you were a man in some way?" She got up from the chair by the window.

"That's not it and you know it. Things just went too far. And don't make it into such a big deal it was only that once." Fiyero also got up from where he had been sitting.

"No big deal? Well that no big deal gave me Ella!" Glinda shouted at Fiyero. She was furious. How could Fiyero not care about her or their daughter?

"How was I supposed to know that? You never gave me the chance to be a father! You never told me I was one!" He was furious too.

"Well I'm sorry it must have just slipped my mind with you being dead and all! How come you didn't come back when you found out I had a daughter? Elphaba came back in a matter of minutes!" Glinda suddenly regretted the last words uttered from her mouth.

"Wait what? Elphaba is with you?" Fiyero looked confused.

Glinda tried to cover up what she had just said. "No!" only the response came out too fast.

"You are lying Glinda Upland! You are not telling me the whole truth!" He angrily yelled at the blonde whom he was now mere inches in front of.

"Well we all get lied to now don't we Fiyero!" Glinda spat in his face.

"Don't you dare miss spoiled label queen." Fiyero lifted his finger and poked Glinda in the shoulder.

"Don't you dare touch me!" Glinda yelled, her face flush from anger. Everything she had thought she had let go was all coming back to her now; the hurt, the confusion, the pain, all of it. "You deliberately kept that information from Elphie for your own personal gain! You are the selfish one here. I have been raising our daughter all by myself so that you could what? Frolic around Oz telling Elphaba lies?"

"I told her no lies! The only things I ever told her were the truth. I just didn't tell her everything." Fiyero tried to defend himself. The blonde was quickly gaining the upper hand however.

"Do you even care that you have a daughter about to turn three?" Glinda sighed. Her anger was ebbing slightly.

"Of course I care." Fiyero lied. He didn't really care. Ella was a mistake in his mind.

"I don't want you coming near me and my family ever. That includes Elphaba." Glinda stated as she turned to leave. She needed to go home and have Elphaba embrace her and hold her tight. Tell her everything Fiyero had just told her had been a lie.

"I can't promise that." Fiyero shot back. "I'll be damned if I give up without a fight."

Glinda had no more energy to argue anymore. She descended the stairs and headed back towards her castle feeling more defeated than she had in a very long time.

**XXX**

Elphaba had finally managed to calm Ella down. It took a couple lullaby's and a few quick whispered words for the little girl to fall back into a dreamless sleep.

Elphaba sat outside exhausted and awaiting Glinda's return when she saw the buggy pull up.

"I missed you." Elphaba helped Glinda down from the carriage noticing the defeated look in her eyes. "Okay either the shops had nothing in them and you are disappointed at that or…" Elphaba was cut off.

"I saw Fiyero." Glinda stated. Elphaba gulped as she heard her lover say her ex boyfriends name.

"And?" she encouraged Glinda to go on.

"I need to know one thing Elphie." Glinda turned to look at Elphie. This worried Elphaba more than anything. What had he said to her that could cause her to question Elphaba?

"Okay, but first let me tell you something." Elphaba needed to tell Glinda of her daughters fit before Glinda could ask her the question.

"Okay." Glinda sighed.

"Ella had a nightmare while you were gone."

Glinda's eyes lit up. "Is she okay? What happened?" Her voice panicked.

Elphaba took Glinda's shoulders to steady to girl. "She is fine now. It was a pretty intense nightmare for a child. I sang her back to sleep though. Apparently you aren't the only one tone deaf in this family."

Glinda smiled. "Thank you. I should go check on her." Glinda went to go check on her daughter. Before she got to the top of the stairs Elphaba called out to her.

"Was there something you wanted to ask me?" The green girl figured there was no time like the present.

"It doesn't matter anymore." Glinda smiled. It truly didn't matter anymore. Whatever Elphaba had done with Fiyero in the past was her business. All that mattered now was that Elphaba was a part of her family.

"I love you." Elphaba called to the top of the stairs.

"I love you too." Glinda turned around and blew Elphaba a kiss before going to check on her daughter.

Elphaba was left at the bottom of the stairs. She sighed and sat down.

"What have you done now Fiyero?" she asked herself.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: So I lied…I am posting today. I just can't stop writing…it's an illness I swear.**

**Chapter 14**

Glinda went into Ella's room to check on her daughter. Once inside she found her to be sleeping peacefully. She would usually wake her up from her nap by now but today she just let her sleep. Ella had to have been exhausted after what she had gone through. Glinda had failed to mention to Elphaba that Ella sometimes experienced night terrors. She had ever since she was a baby.

Glinda sighed and closed the door behind her. She wanted to talk to Ella to see how she was doing but now was not the best time.

"How is she?" Elphaba had now made her way up to where Ella's room was.

"Sleeping." Glinda smiled towards Elphaba. "Can we go talk?" Glinda motioned in the direction of her room.

Elphaba nodded and allowed herself to be led. The two of them had a lot to discuss. Elphaba still hadn't told Glinda about Leland asking her out.

Once inside Glinda immediately curled herself onto Elphaba's chest. The green woman in return wrapped her arms around the blonde and held her.

"This is so complicated." Glinda finally spoke into Elphaba's shoulder. She still needed to be held and so she offered up a better solution. "Here follow me." And the blonde led Elphaba over towards her bed where she sat down. Elphaba followed suit and sat down right next to her allowing Glinda to rest her head on her shoulder.

"What's complicated my sweet?" Elphaba began stroking Glinda's blonde locks. She wrapped her other hand around the blonde's waist.

"Everything." Glinda huffed. "Fiyero, Leland, you." Elphaba didn't like her answer very much.

"Me?" she asked. Glinda only closed her eyes.

"Not you directly. You aren't a problem. Your damn attractiveness is. Apparently I am not the only one to take notice." Glinda felt defeated. Elphaba could tell that Glinda was not in her normal cheery mood.

"Here lay down with me my sweet." Elphaba laid her back down on the bed and scooted upwards. Glinda followed command and scooted up too. She let her head settle on Elphaba's chest with one arm draped around the green girl's waist.

"What all did Fiyero say to upset you?" Elphaba needed to know. Her curiosity was getting the better of her.

"He called Ella a mistake basically. He blamed me for what happened that night." Glinda allowed a few tears to roll down her eyes.

Elphaba reached over and placed a kiss on Glinda's cheeks where the tears had left a stain. "Ella is not a mistake." She reassured the blonde. "She made you who you are today."

"I know that and I love her to death. I would do anything for her, but his words still got to me." Glinda sighed. She hated feeling defeated.

"Did he say anything else to upset you like this?" Elphaba tried to move the conversation away from Ella.

"He said you were trying to have a baby which is ludicrous because I know you and kids." Glinda needed confirmation that this was incorrect.

Elphaba felt hurt at Glinda's words. Had the blonde really just called her unfit for motherhood. She shifted uncomfortably away from Glinda allowing Glinda's head to fall back to the bed.

"Elphie?" Glinda was surprised at the sudden interruption of their snuggling. She looked up and saw a pained look on Elphaba's face.

"What's so wrong with me and kids?" Elphaba asked the blonde. She needed to know why Glinda thought that was a stupid idea.

"Oh I don't know Elphie. You are okay around them. I just can't picture you wanting them yourself." Glinda tried to diffuse the situation.

"What the hell do you think I am doing here with you and Ella? Playing maid?" Elphaba was angry now. She thought that she was here to prove to Glinda she could be a great parent and Glinda was telling her the exact opposite.

"That's not what I meant. Ella is my daughter and I am her mother. I just can't picture you as being a motherly type." Glinda huffed. She was getting frustrated with Elphie.

"Just because I didn't conceive of your child doesn't mean that I can't be motherly around her." Elphaba said.

"That's not what I am saying Elphie so stop twisting my words." Glinda sat up in bed.

"I am not twisting them. How can I when they are already so twisted? I risked everything to come here and help you raise Ella. Everything! Even if we never confessed our love to each other I would have still stuck around." Elphaba sat up too.

"I know you did but don't hold that over my head like a debt. I have risked everything keeping you here. Anyone could figure out who you truly were in a matter of minutes. My life and Ella's life would be ruined forever." Glinda tried to gain the upper hand in the argument.

"Well fine then if that's how you see it." Elphaba got up from the bed and went over to her bag. "I won't put you two in danger anymore." The green girl strode over to the door before stopping and turning back around. "I can be a good mother." She said more for her benefit than for Glinda's. With that the green girl was gone from the room.

Glinda was left sitting on the bed thinking over what had just happened. She was still angry with Elphie but she knew she couldn't let her get away so she bolted up from bed to go after her.

**XXX**

"Damn it!" Fiyero kicked a bucket across the room in the tallest tower at Kiamo Ko.

Glinda had left maybe an hour ago and Fiyero was already regretting everything he had said to her. If he ever held a chance with Elphaba then he shouldn't have said those things. He needed to set some things straight.

He knew that going to Glinda's castle would be a huge risk. Glinda was sure to have a bunch of security. He paced around the room trying to think of a way to get to Elphaba.

"I've got it!" He clasped his hands together as an idea came to his mind. Before he got a chance to over think he was out the door and headed towards Glinda's castle. He was going to win back Elphaba if it was the last thing he did.

**XXX**

"Elphie wait!" Glinda stormed past a marble statue trying to catch up to the green girl.

Elphaba heard Glinda calling her name and turned around allowing Glinda time to catch up with her.

"Please don't leave." Glinda caught up to Elphaba and stood a moment to catch her breath. "I know we are angry with each other right now but please stay. We can work this out." Glinda pleaded. She needed Elphaba to stay. Now that she was back she couldn't lose her again.

"I don't know that we can work this out." Elphaba looked hurt as she said this. Glinda could tell from the look in Elphie's eyes that she wanted nothing more to stay with her. So why was she resisting?

"That's a load of crap Elphie! We can get through this." Glinda tried to persuade the green woman.

"You said I could never be a good mother. I can't stand around and prove you right." Elphaba looked away. Tears threatened to spill.

"Of course you can be a good mother Elphie. Look at how you were around Ella today." Glinda tried to point out the obvious.

"That's not what I mean. This has nothing to do with Ella." Elphaba watched as Glinda's eyes grew confused.

"Then what is this all about? Why would it matter if I thought you'd make a good mother or not?" Glinda needed answers. If this wasn't about Ella then what could this be about?

Elphaba took one last deep breath. "I'm going to be a mother." she exhaled.

"Yes to Ella. I already told you where you stood in that relationship." Glinda tried to convince Elphaba that she was just over reacting and everything was okay.

"No Glin you don't understand. I am going to be a mother myself. I'm pregnant." Elphaba tried to gauge the blonde's reaction.

"Oh." Was all Glinda managed to get out before Elphaba interrupted her.

"What Fiyero told you was true. We were trying to have a baby." Glinda looked hurt by Elphaba's statement. If Elphaba was trying to have a baby with Fiyero then she was never planning on coming back to her.

"I would have told you sooner only I found out this morning myself. I have been getting sick for the past month Glinda. I didn't want to believe it myself." Elphaba tried to explain. "But these symptoms all added up and I just knew. I'm sorry that I flew off the handle with you earlier. I was going to tell you tonight. Only when you said I wasn't the motherly type my hormones kicked in I guess." The green girl tried to offer up an explanation for why she had been so upset earlier.

Glinda had still not spoken more than one word to Elphaba. This whole baby thing came as a shock. She needed time to process.

"I need to go think." She said before turning around in the direction of Ella's room.

Elphaba was left standing there with no more than an I need to think response. It was the worst type of response she could have received. It was neither a, that's good for you, or that sucks for us, response. It was ambiguous. I need to think could mean anything.

Elphaba sighed and went back in the direction of Glinda's room to await her fate.

**XXX**

"Mommy?" Ella woke up when she heard the door to her room open.

"Yes sweetie it's just me." Glinda went over to where her daughter was still in bed. "I heard you had a bad dream."

Ella shook her head as she remembered the dream from before.

"Are you okay now?" Glinda asked her daughter. She was always concerned after she had suffered a night terror.

"I think so. Elphaba sang to me. She's going to make a good mommy one day." Ella proudly told her mother.

At hearing the daughter speak those words Glinda tensed up. She had called Elphie the un-motherly type earlier and now she was hearing from her two-year-old that she was very much capable. The words stung.

"I'm sure she will sweetheart." Glinda said to her daughter. "I have some grown up stuff to do so I'm going to send nanny in here okay?"

Ella pouted. She hated being away from her mother but knew it was necessary. "Okay."

"That's my big girl." Glinda hugged her daughter. "She will be here in two minutes. In the meantime try and tidy up." Glinda motioned to the mass amount of toys on the ground.

She went over towards the door and after a quick goodbye exited.

She ran into the nanny in her suite and told her the game plan. The nanny was more than happy to take Ella for a couple of hours.

With that done, Glinda headed in the direction of her room. She needed to talk to Elphaba. Ella's words had really gotten to her.

**XXX**

"Psst." Fiyero called from one of the bushes at the entrance to Glinda's castle. When one of the guards turned around he motioned for them to come over. As soon as they got close enough Fiyero grabbed them by the legs and dragged them into the bushes. Luckily no other guards were around to witness or hear the shouts from the captured guard.

"Perfect." Fiyero said as he stood up now dressed in the guard's uniform. "That was easier than I thought." He left his area of the bushes leaving the real guard passed out and tied up behind him.

He made his way back over to the castle entrance and stood outside. Before he could gain access he needed the key. From past experience, he knew there was only one person who carried the key to the grounds and that was the head force of Security. He would have to wait until they passed by on their rounds before stealing the key.

**XXX**

Elphaba sat on Glinda's bed with her legs pulled up to her body. Her arms were encircled around them and her chin rested on her knees. She was deep in thought when the sound of the door opening frightened her.

"Can I come in?" Glinda timidly asked her from the door.

"Of course." Elphaba unfolded herself from her current position and took another one that was more conducive to cuddling. She opened up her arms to Glinda and the blonde wasted no time in getting in them.

"I'm sorry about freaking out earlier Elphie. I shouldn't have done that." Glinda apologized. Elphaba smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"I understand. I freaked out myself earlier." The green girl tried to laugh. What came out was a nervous sort of laugh. Glinda reached up and grabbed the green girl's fingers.

"I am making the same promise to you." Glinda sighed.

"What promise my sweet?" Elphaba allowed to trace lines across her fingers.

"I am going to take care of you and that baby inside of you just like you promised me. I won't let anything bad happen to you." The blonde reached down and kissed Elphaba's stomach.

"You don't have to. This was my choice Glinda. At least with you you didn't really have a choice. I wanted this." Elphaba tried to explain she didn't need Glinda's help. She didn't want to burden her.

"You wanted it for the wrong reasons Elphie." Glinda sighed. She wasn't sure if this statement would offend Elphaba or not.

"I wanted to feel loved." Elphaba whispered.

"And you are." Glinda brought her head up towards Elphaba and leaned over kissing her on the lips. "I love you very much." She kissed her again. "And I will love whoever you welcome into this world." She kissed her one last time.

Elphaba smiled into the last kiss. "Technically Ella will have a brother or sister now."

"Oh no. Another half Fiyero running around. What a joy." Glinda joked.

"Don't look at it that way. There should be no mentions of Fiyero in this house. From now on this baby is ours. You and me. If you want it." Elphaba looked into Glinda's eyes.

"We're going to have a child together." Glinda smiled and kissed Elphaba passionately.

"Yes we are." Elphaba smiled and kissed Glinda again. "This child is yours and mine. No amount of DNA can change that."

"I love you Elphie. I'm sorry about before. You will make an excellent mother. Ella already thinks so." Glinda needed to apologize for her behavior before.

"I know you are and I love you too." Elphaba moved on top of Glinda. "Want to see how much I love you?"

Glinda giggled. "Yes please!" She said enthusiastically.

"Mmm that's what I like to hear." Elphaba smiled and leaned down and began kissing Glinda passionately on the lips. When her lips were sore from all the contact she moved lower kissing down Glinda's neck.

"That feels good." Glinda smiled into Elphaba's hair. "Want to feel how good?" Glinda continued to smile as she flipped the two of them over taking Elphaba by surprise.

"Mmm." Elphaba murmured as Glinda did the same thing to her, kissing down her neck.

Glinda continued to kiss down her neck until she reached the top of Elphaba's dress. "Well this is just in the way." Glinda giggled and reached her hand out to unbutton it.

"Yes it is." Elphaba sighed happily as she felt Glinda linger around certain buttons in her chest area.

"These buttons are just too hard to get off." Glinda tried to give an explanation to why she was lingering in certain areas. They both knew that it was on purpose though.

"Damn buttons." Elphaba agreed. The contact was getting too much for her. She leaned up and captured Glinda's lips in another fierce kiss. Her tongue danced around the outskirts of her mouth seeking permission. Glinda happily granted it.

The buttons on the dress were forgotten for a while as the two shared one of the most intimate kisses to date. Once they were both satisfied the task of removing buttons was resumed.

Glinda pulled off the dress the reveal Elphaba's tall and fit body. She smiled and let her hands explore the green girl. Elphaba moaned into every touch.

"You're beautiful." Glinda whispered in Elphaba's ears before leaving a trail of kisses down her cheek and neck.

"So are you." Elphaba responded and reached up to grab the thin material that separated the two. "Now let me see how beautiful." Her voice was an octave lower than usual.

Glinda got turned on just by listening to her speak. "Go ahead." She allowed the green woman to undress her. Pausing from their kissing the allow her dress to be pulled over her head.

Glinda reached down and cupped a hand to Elphaba's stomach. Elphaba tensed at this action and looked into Glinda's eyes. Glinda smiled back at her.

"This is how you should have been made all along." Glinda spoke to Elphaba's belly. Elphaba smiled as she felt Glinda accepting her baby into her life.

"Kiss me now or I might burst." Elphaba greedily asked. Glinda was happy to comply only she kissed Elphaba somewhere other than her lips.

"Oh sweet Oz." Elphaba arched her back at the contact.

The two of them were lost in their own world for the time being. All their anger from before was forgotten as they demonstrated just how much they loved one another.


	15. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

Just got back from the Idina Menzel concert. I posted some videos on my youtube account if you are interested. I will try and have another chapter up tomorrow.

/user/Charmed71 --that's my account.

I highly recommend the videos...especially the one where Idina forgets her lines to the song For Good.


	16. Chapter 15

**A/N: Sorry if this chapter seems rushed. I was trying to fit a lot in before the idea's left my mind.**

**Chapter 15**

Fiyero waited around for an hour before another security guard passed by him.

"Are you new?" The security guard asked as he took his place next to Fiyero. Fiyero shifted nervously as he tried to not blow his cover.

"Yes I am." He confidently replied. In order to gain access to Elphaba he would have to follow procedure.

"Ah I thought so." The guard next to him said. "My name's Leland. Nice to meet you." And then he offered his hand out towards Fiyero.

"Emmett." Fiyero took the man's offered hand and shook it. Emmett was the name he often used when out in public. It had been the name of his father.

"Welcome to the guard." Leland welcomed Fiyero.

"Thanks." Fiyero looked away from Leland. He didn't want this man studying his face for too long. Nearly everyone had forgotten what the prince looked like but he still had to be cautious.

"So what made you join?" Leland asked. Fiyero had to come up with a response quickly.

"Love." He smiled. It wasn't a lie. He was doing all of this for Elphaba. He had to get to her and explain everything was a misunderstanding and that he still loved her.

Leland smiled at Fiyero's answer. "I like how you think Emmett."

"So what about you?" Fiyero asked, trying to keep the conversation away from him.

"I honor what Miss Glinda stands for. I am willing to sacrifice myself to see that she is safe." Leland gave an automated response. Something one might read from a handbook.

"You sound like you're selling the job." Fiyero joked. Leland didn't take this too kindly.

"It is the truth Master Emmett." Leland leveled a glare at Fiyero causing him to regret his last words.

"I apologize for my rude behavior. I am new to this." Fiyero stuttered trying to apologize. It didn't take much for Leland to forgive him.

"Ah yes. I remember being new at the job too. You grow into it." Leland tried to offer up his tidbit of advice.

"I hope to do just that." Fiyero smirked. He knew he would never do that. Being part of the guard was the last thing from his mind.

"So you are here for love? Care to elaborate?" Leland tried to keep up their conversation.

"Yes I am here for love but no I can't really give out any details." Fiyero didn't like the third degree he was receiving from Leland.

"Understandable." Leland seemed disappointed. "Well I am going to patrol the perimeter. Are you going to stay here?"

"Of course." Fiyero was glad that Leland was going to leave him alone. Then he finally might have a chance at getting to the head of security.

"All right. It's glad to have you Emmett…?" Leland trailed off. "What is your last name?" he asked. He wasn't sure if he had caught it before.

"Thomas." Fiyero offered up as he waved goodbye to Leland.

The guard backed away and started on his search of the perimeter.

"Hum. I have never heard of an Emmett Thomas." Leland tried to wrack his brain for any information on the new guard. He continued to walk until he was out of eyesight of Fiyero. "Wait!" he came to a halt as a thought hit him. "Emmett Thomas. E.T. And he says he's here for love!" Leland was proud that he had finally figured out who E.T. was. "What in the hell are they doing as a guard here?" Leland questioned. He needed to figure out more about this Emmett character and so he turned in the direction of the security office. Surely they would have his file on hand that he could look through.

**XXX**

"I love you Elphie." Glinda cuddled up next to the form of her naked lover.

"I love you too my sweet." The green woman reached down and placed a soft kiss on her love's lips.

"I don't want to get up." Glinda whined. She knew they would have to get up eventually and take Ella out to do something. "I like it here."

The pout in Glinda's voice caused the green woman to laugh. "Responsibility calls." Elphaba tried to nudge Glinda free from her without much success. The blonde only clung tighter.

"I don't want to be old anymore. I want to be young and at Shiz with you. Just you, me, and our dorm." Glinda muttered into Elphaba's side. The vibrations from Glinda's voice against the green woman's sides caused her to laugh.

"Miss Glinda why would you ever wish for that?" Elphaba tried to please the blonde by asking a question she knew the response to.

"Because then we could have all the mad hot passionate sex we want." Glinda looked up and smiled as Elphaba blushed a deep green color.

"Well what makes you think that would happen?" Elphaba tried to regain her normal coloring.

"Because you can't resist me." Glinda was sure of herself.

"Oh really?" Elphaba took this as a challenge.

"Really." Glinda moved her hand down to Elphaba's stomach and traced circles around the bare flesh. "You couldn't resist this." She moved her hands upwards and towards her breasts. "Or this." She then moved her hand up again and cupped the green woman's cheek. "Or this." She knelt down and placed a soft kiss on Elphaba's lips.

Elphaba resisted this kiss trying to prove she could resist the blonde. When Glinda noticed Elphaba wasn't kissing her back she pulled back and looked at the green woman to see what the hold up was. She was met with Elphaba's brown eyes staring into her own blue ones. The green woman also had a smug expression plastered on her face.

"What was that about being able to resist you?" Elphaba teased the blonde.

Glinda frowned. "That wasn't nice Elphie. Now you made me waste some perfectly good maneuvers on nothing." Glinda huffed. Elphaba knew she wasn't being serious.

"So kissing me is nothing?" Elphaba preteneded to be upset. Glinda knew this was all a game by now.

"Yep. It's like kissing air. Nothing at all." Glinda teased back.

"Ouch. That hurts Miss Glinda." Elphaba held her hand up to her chest as if someone had stabbed her with a dagger in the heart.

"Well maybe you'll just have to prove me wrong." Glinda said innocently enough and batted her eyes at Elphaba.

"Oh please." Elphaba huffed. "It's going to take more than that to get me to forgive you."

"Mmm like what?" Glinda smirked. She loved this game the two of them seemed to be playing with one another.

"Well first I would need a sincere apology for hurting my feelings, and then I would need an ample amount of kisses to back that up with, then I'll consider where we stand." Elphaba crossed her arms over her chest. She was unwilling to surrender until Glinda performed those simple tasks.

Glinda weighed her options. She could either take the bait and see where it led or she could protest. She decided the bait was the better option. Taking one deep breath she began to form an apology for the green woman.

"I am deeply sorry for my behavior earlier. It was uncalled for. Kissing you is not nothing. Kissing you is what I live for." Glinda looked into Elphaba's eyes trying to see if this apology was enough.

"And…?" Elphaba needed Glinda to continue.

"And I am deeply ashamed of myself for lying to such a beautiful person." Glinda smiled. Elphaba figured she had drawn the apology out enough.

"Now where are my kisses?" The green woman demanded the rest of her settlement. Glinda giggled at how stern Elphaba's voice was.

"Right here." Glinda then proceeded to kiss Elphaba with gusto. After about 10 minutes of light kisses and some very intimate ones Elphaba finally spoke up.

"I guess you are forgiven." The green woman said.

"Good. Because I don't know what I would have done if you stayed mad at me." Glinda giggled. She loved being able to be playful with Elphie. Her past relationships had lacked this one element. It was all romance and lust of course, but no playful banter, no joking, and no fun. She needed everything in a relationship. So far Elphaba had not disappointed.

Elphaba responded by kissing Glinda lightly on the lips. "I really think we should get up now."

Glinda groaned before disengaging herself from her lover. "I guess so."

"You don't want Ella to think we have abandoned her." Elphaba laughed as she pulled on her dress that had been scattered on the floor.

"Definitely not." Glinda smiled back and grabbed her dress that was also on the floor some ten feet away.

"Can I ask you something Glin?" Elphaba pulled her stockings on.

"What is it sweetie?" Glinda asked. She wasn't sure if she should be worried or not.

"Where did you come up with the name Ella?" Elphaba finished tying the laces on her boots and walked over towards the blonde to help her zip up her dress.

Glinda blushed a little at this question. "Well when we first became friends and I wanted to give you a nickname I went through a whole list. Not much popped out with a name like Elphaba so I started a list. Ella was just one of the nicknames on the list that I liked. I knew that it didn't really fit your personality and so I went with Elphie. I did always like Ella though, and it reminded me of you."

Elphaba stood shocked. "You named your daughter Ella because it reminded you of me?"

Glinda blushed again. "Yes. I wanted to remember you always."

Elphaba went over and embraced the blonde. "Thank you." She whispered into her ear.

"For what?" Glinda didn't really understand what she was getting thanked for.

"For remembering me even after you thought I was gone." Elphaba let go of Glinda and looked into her eyes.

"How could I forget you?" was Glinda's response.

It took a few more kisses and a couple of hugs before Glinda and Elphaba finally left the room to go find Ella.

**XXX**

"Damn it. Where is the file?" Leland angrily riffled through as many files as he saw in the security office. He was getting frustrated for being unable to locate anything. "You must be hiding something Emmett." Leland seethed and then left the security office to go in search of the head guard. He was going to inform him of the missing file and ask if he had seen it anywhere.

"Master Guff!" Leland yelled as he ran towards the head of security. He had made it just in time before he had gotten to Fiyero.

"What is it Leland?" The head of security dropped all formalities when he saw the expression in Leland's eyes.

"Have you seen the file on the new guard?" Leland tried to gasp for air.

"New guard? What new guard?" Master Guff looked confused.

"The new guard Emmett Thomas." Leland had finally regained his composure.

"I have no idea what you are talking about boy." The head of security stared at Leland like he had lost his marbles. "Why don't you take the rest of the day off Leland? You look like you could use the sleep."

"Sir I mean no disrespect but I do not wish the day off. I do wish for an explanation though. I met the guard by the entrance and he told me he was new and his name was Emmett Thomas. I am not making this up." Leland tried to get his point across.

Master Guff finally looked convinced that something wasn't right. "Did he seem nervous to you at all?"

Leland had to think back. "Now that you mention it he did stutter a little. He also joked about being here for the right reasons."

"Hum. We will all approach that area with caution. Gather three more guards from nearby. We will see what is going on. I will go be the bait. Just make sure you have your men there keeping an eye out for me. If the situation gets dire you know what to do." The head guard told Leland.

"Okay. Let me get my men and I will be right back." Leland ran off in search of a couple more guards.

Master Guff wasted no time in waiting for Leland to return. He headed in the direction of the main entrance to see what all this commotion was about. He crossed behind the building until he was in sight of the guard in the front. It was difficult from this distance to tell anything and so he walked closer to him.

**XXX**

Meanwhile back at the front gate Fiyero patiently waited. It had been an hour since Leland had left him and he was beginning to get antsy.

"I haven't got all day." He huffed. Fiyero's plan was taking a lot longer than he thought it would. Just as he was about to resort to plan B he saw the stripes on a uniform in the distance. He knew those stripes were only awarded to captains and heads of security.

"Finally." He let out a sigh of relief. Within no time the guard would be over and he could steal the keys from him.

Fiyero whistled a happy tune, as his plan was about to take place. He just had to wait a couple more minutes.

**XXX**

"Mommy!" Ella ran to greet her mother at her bedroom door.

"Hey sweetheart." Glinda leaned down and placed a small kiss on Ella's cheek. "I missed you."

"Me too!" Ella yelled. "Hi Elphaba." The little girl noticed the green woman next to her mother.

"Hello to you too Ella. You can call me Elphie if you want. It's probably easier to say." Elphaba didn't like being called Elphaba. To her it seems too formal.

"Okay Elphie." Ella giggled. Glinda smiled.

"How about we all go on a walk?" Glinda suggested. She wanted to spend some quality time together with her two favorite women.

"Just us?" Ella asked pointed to her mother and not Elphaba.

"All of us." Glinda said. Ella's face fell just a little. She didn't like sharing her mother with anyone else.

"Then just us later?" Ella asked hopeful. This time is was Glinda's turn to let her face fall a little. She wanted Elphaba and Ella together. She knew that all of this would take a lot of adjusting to the almost three-year-old.

"We'll see." Glinda responded and looked towards Elphie.

"You guys go on your walk now. I think I might actually read a bit." Elphaba noticed Ella's disappointment at not getting to spend time with just her mother so she decided to diffuse the situation for Glinda. "I could actually use some alone time."

Glinda smiled. She knew Elphaba was allowing her some mother daughter time and she adored her all the more for it. On her walk she could talk to Ella about Elphaba. Maybe tell her she was planning on being there for a very long time and should get used to it being the three of them instead of the two of them.

"Thank you." Glinda mouthed up towards Elphaba and took Ella's had in her own.

Within a minute the two Uplands were out the door. Elphaba decided since it was such a nice day she would go outside to read. She gathered up her knapsack and headed for the front gate.

**XXX**

Fiyero watched as the head of the guard got closer and closer. Within a couple of seconds he would be within distance to casually strike up a conversation and remove the keys from him in the process. Fiyero was a pretty talented pickpocket.

As the head of security got closer Fiyero was able to read his expression. He had a look of curiosity, which amused the prince. What could have this man so curious?

Fiyero smiled and Master Guff approached him. "Good evening sir." He greeted him politely.

"Good evening." Master Guff replied. He was trying to get a good look at the intruder's face while waiting for the guards.

"Beautiful day isn't it?" Fiyero motioned to the sky.

"Yes it is." Master Guff agreed.

Just then Leland returned with his extra guards in tow.

"Okay keep an eye out guys. If anything seems suspicious then shoot. You have my order that it is okay." Leland led the group to a position behind the bushes.

"I think you have something right there." Fiyero motioned towards Master Guff's face. This was it. This was the moment he would have to steal the key.

"Where?" Master Guff tried to wipe at his face with his hands.

"You're missing it. Here let me." Fiyero got close enough and raised his hand to remove imaginary dirt. With the other he reached to Master Guff's belt to grab the keys.

**XXX**

Leland's group watched for any signs that the situation had become dire. They had seen none until Fiyero went to touch Master Guff. All of the guards tightened their grip on their rifles as they watched Fiyero hover over Master Guff.

"Sweet Oz! He's going for his gun!" Leland shouted as he saw Fiyero's other hand move towards Master Guff's belt. His keys were located right next to his gun unfortunately.

"What shall we do?" The guards asked Leland.

Leland had been in combat training before and knew that in this situation he should use the secret birdcall that all guards knew as the code for duck. He looked back to his crew.

"When I give the call shoot. Don't necessarily shoot to hit him. Shoot to scare him." Leland informed the guards. They all nodded their heads in understanding and got their rifles in position.

Leland calmed himself. "Three…two…one….SCHREAHHHHH!" he yelled out the birdcall.

Master Guff was an expert with combat and so he understood what was happening. He ducked with lightening speed, causing Fiyero to look down at him in confusion.

At that same exact moment Elphaba made her way down to the entrance hall and opened up the front door.

"SCHREAHHHHH!" was all she heard before her eyes widened as four guards stood up from the bushes and let out a round of bullets.

The gunshots echoed in the air for a couple of seconds before there was once again silence.

"Oh sweet Oz!" One of the guards yelled as they watched a figure fall limp to the ground.

**A/N: Ooohh! Who gets shot? Guess you will have to wait and see.**


	17. Chapter 16

**A/N: Would have had this up earlier but my nephew came over. It is not easy to write with a 4-year-old begging you to play wii with them. It finally got finished though, and so Enjoy!  
**

**Chapter 16**

"Cease fire!" Leland yelled as soon as he saw the front door to the palace open. It was too late though. Shots rang throughout the air.

He watched as a figure fell to the ground unmoving. "Oh sweet Oz!" he yelled as he made his way over the patch of grass to where the figure lay.

**XXX**

Fiyero heard the shots echo in the air and closed his eyes waiting for impact. It was too late. There was no way he was going to escape this. When a couple of seconds passed and he still stood unharmed he slowly opened his eyes. What he heard next was a loud thud behind him causing him to wheel around to see where the noise came from. He saw an ivory skinned woman laying on the ground. Knowing this was the perfect diversion he took off towards the exit.

"Get him!" Leland yelled to the guards as he ran faster towards where Iris had fallen. "Oh sweet Oz let her be okay." Leland prayed.

The extra guards took off after Fiyero. They had obeyed orders and missed their target, they hadn't expected for anyone to exit through the front door though.

"You're going to pay!" One of the guards yelled after Fiyero. Fiyero just ran faster until he was met with a brick fence.

"Shit!" Fiyero yelled. He had no time to scale the fence and the guards were quickly surrounding him.

"Give up!" One of the guards yelled and held his rifle up towards Fiyero's face.

Fiyero knew better than to run when he was staring down the barrel of a gun. He had two options. He could run and most likely get shot, or he could surrender. Surrendering was probably the better option at this point. If they caught him what exactly could they charge him with? Assault of a guard? Impersonating an official? They certainly couldn't charge him for the death of the unsuspecting woman. Could they?

Fiyero lifted his hands to surrender and the guards wasted no time cuffing him. Fiyero was led back in the direction of the castle where he was sure to be thrown in the dungeons.

**XXX**

Master Guff was up and off the ground the second Fiyero started to run for it. He saw the injured woman on the ground and figured that was his priority at the moment. His guards could take care of the intruder.

"Miss?" Master Guff hurried over towards the woman. "Miss?" he tried to shake her. There was a massive amount of blood pooling around her right arm and chest. She had been shot twice.

Elphaba's eyes were closed but she could hear what was going on around her. She was in a different world it seemed.

"Help!" Master Guff ran over to the door and called inside for help. Someone was sure to hear him and would come out soon. Once that task was done the head of security went back over towards the young lady.

He stripped off his jacket and pressed it against the gapping hole in Elphaba's chest trying to slow the bleeding. He wasn't sure if this woman was dead or not. She had yet to make a noise and was loosing a considerable amount of blood.

Leland made his way over to the pair and immediately fell to his knees to check for a pulse. He felt relieved when he felt one. It was faint, but it was still there.

"She's still alive." Leland told Master Guff. "But she won't be for long unless we get her some help."

Master Guff agreed that he was right but there was nothing the two of them could do at the moment. They had to wait it out. Help would be there shortly.

"Oh Iris please wake up." Leland cupped Elphaba's cheek in his hand. "Please, please be okay." He allowed a single tear to cascade down his cheek.

**XXX**

Elphaba stood alone in a big dark corridor. "Hello!" she called out. Her voice echoed around her. She was all alone. "Is anyone there?" she called again.

What was going on? Last thing she remembered was walking outside to go read. Now she was in a pitch-black corridor. The only light was provided from a hole in the ceiling.

"Please, please be okay." She heard the voice of Leland echo around her.

"Leland? Leland I'm right here!" she turned around in search of where the voice came from. She found that she was alone still.

"What the hell is going on?" Elphaba was frustrated. "Where the hell am I?"

The green girl knew talking would not help her out of this situation and so she walked around the corridor looking for a door.

She passed by brick after brick with no luck finding any way out.

"This is a fucking circle!" she yelled as she arrived back at her starting point. All she knew now was that she was in a circular pitch-black corridor and the only was out was up. The crack in the ceiling that provided light for the dim corridor also served as an exit.

"If I could only get up there." Elphaba huffed as she mentally measured the distance between her and the hole. She was a good twenty feet away from it and there were no stairs or ladders around. "How the hell am I going to do this?"

She needed to come up with a game plan and so she sat in the middle of the domed corridor to think.

**XXX**

Master Guff continued applying pressure to the woman's wounds. The blood was seeping through his jacket onto his hand. He was at least thankful she was in some sort of coma or the blood loss and pain would be too much for her to stand. She would have long ago died from shock.

Another minute passed before help arrived. Guards panted heavily as they tried to regain their bearings. The on call nurse quickly followed.

"Oh my." The nurse gasped as she saw the scene in front of her. The ivory skinned woman she had worked on just a couple days before lay unconscious before her. "What happened here?" she demanded to know as she brought out her medical kit and quickly administered a shot in the green woman's arm.

"Some bullets strayed while trying to capture an intruder. She was hit." Leland stuttered. He was growing queasy at the sight of blood.

"Stray bullets?" the nurse huffed. "It looks like you aimed straight for this poor woman."

Leland felt a sharp pang of guilt. They practically had aimed for her. Well in her direction. They hadn't expected anyone to exit the palace.

"Help me get her up. She needs to go to the hospital." The nurse called to the nearby guards.

They all went over and took hold of Elphaba. On the count of three they hoisted her up and moved quickly up to the emergency wing. There was nothing more they could do until the bullets were removed.

**XXX**

"Hey!" Elphaba yelled as she suddenly felt dizzy. She felt as if she were moving although she knew she was sitting stationary on the floor.

"She needs to go to the hospital." She heard a far off voice call.

"Who needs to go to the hospital?" Elphaba asked although by now she knew she wouldn't receive a response.

She was correct. The room remained silent.

"Glinda!" Elphaba called out. Hopefully her love could hear her and help her out. "Glinda!" she called again. There was still no response.

Elphaba felt defeated. There was no way out of this. Whatever was going on scared the hell out of her. She couldn't do anything. She couldn't call for help. She couldn't escape. There was no way she could get to the ceiling. Nothing.

Elphaba moved over to the darkest side of the room and sat leaning up against the wall. She felt useless. Tears flowed down her cheeks. She was giving up.

**XXX**

"We're loosing her!" The nurse yelled as the doctor tried removing the bullet from her chest. Elphaba's heart rate had dropped considerably lower than it was when they brought her in.

"Not on my watch." The doctor was determined not the let this patient leave just yet. Not until he did everything in his power to help her.

"Damn it!" the doctor yelled as he saw that the main artery was punctured. "When I yell 'now' quickly place your hand right here." He told the nurse. "If you don't keep pressure there while I remove the bullet blood will fill into her heart."

The nurse's eyes widened as she understood the seriousness of this. One wrong move and she could end this woman's life before it had truly begun.

"Okay." She moved her hand over to where it had to be.

"Now." The doctor yelled as he removed his hand from inside Elphaba's chest.

**XXX**

"AHHH!" Elphaba screamed out in pain as she felt something move inside of her. It was fleeting though.

"What the hell was that?" Elphaba raised her hand up to the position in her chest where the pain had just come from. There were no signs of damage or any wounds.

"This is really starting to freak me out." Elphaba was truly worried for the first time. What exactly was going on with her?

"Okay think Elphie. Think. How did you get here?" Elphaba moved from her leaning position and began pacing the room. "What is the last thing you remember?" she asked herself.

"Okay I was walking. Yes. I was walking to the door. I opened the door and…? Gah!" Elphaba let out a frustrated groan. She couldn't remember what happened next. All she remembered was walking outside. "Think damn it." She chastised herself. There had to be some explanation for how she had gotten here. Wherever here was.

"Okay so you opened the door and…" Elphaba stopped pacing. "…and there was a bird or something. Yeah a bird!" Elphaba was happy at getting past her mental roadblock. Her happiness soon went away as she remembered what happened after then.

She remembered hearing gunshots from a distance and seeing the guards with their weapons pointed towards her.

"Oh sweet Oz." Elphaba began to sob. "I've been caught."

The green woman kept up her crying until there were no tears left to spill.

"I bet they are torturing me right now and I am in some drug induced dream." Elphaba said aloud. She needed to hear her thoughts.

"Oh Glinda. I hope that you are all right." Elphaba stopped pacing and again resumed her position on the floor. If anything bad happened to the blonde she wouldn't be able to live with herself. If they allowed her to live at all.

Elphaba sat with her knees tucked up to her chest rocking back and forth. Thoughts of Glinda invaded her mind. She thought about the wonderful days they had spent together. She thought of the first time they had made love. She thought of Glinda telling her that she loved her. She thought back to their passionate morning spent together. She thought back to the first time the two of them had met at Shiz. Elphaba knew she loved the blonde from the first moment she laid eyes on her.

All these thoughts didn't help Elphaba feel anymore comforted. If anything she felt worse. What if she never got to see Glinda again? She wouldn't be able to live without Glinda by her side. She would sooner commit suicide than suffer through all the pain of losing her.

She continued to rock back and forth singing softy to ease her thoughts. Her eerie voice echoed throughout the chamber.

_Where do I belong if you're not here?_

'_Cause this is way beyond my darkest fear_

_I don't know where I end or where I start_

_Each mile in between is way too far_

_Where do I begin?_

_I've always counted all my blessings_

_Knowing you'd defend me and stand by my side_

_If only I didn't lose my senses_

_Each time I intended these words to come out right _

_Where do I begin my love? _

_Maybe with the morning you brought me the sun_

_Maybe with the stars from outer space_

_You took a few and lit up my face_

_Where do I begin?_

Elphaba finished her song and resumed her crying. She needed Glinda by her side to make everything all right.

**XXX**

"Okay second bullet's out." The doctor informed everyone. "The only thing I can do now is stitch her up and hope she heals."

Leland was watching all of this transpire. The doctor had successfully stopped the bleeding and removed the bullets. There was no telling how much blood the girl had already lost though.

Once he was sure that Elphaba was all right he went in search of Glinda. He knew that Miss Glinda would want to be informed of anything bad happening on her grounds.

**XXX**

"Miss Glinda?" Leland approached Glinda and Ella where they had been walking in the gardens.

"Yes Master Toyik?" Glinda smiled and looked up when she heard her name being called.

"There has been an intruder on the premises. He is in the dungeons right now." Leland tried to give her the good news first.

"Oh." Glinda's face shifted into a frown. "Well that's good that you caught them at least."

"Yes it is." Leland agreed.

"Was that all that racket I heard earlier?" Glinda had heard a bunch of loud noises and was wondering what had been going on.

"I believe that it was. The guards fired a bunch of rounds from their guns." Leland looked away from Glinda as he said this.

"Was the intruder injured?" Glinda was concerned. She knew that her guards wouldn't have fired without a good reason.

"No but someone else was?" Leland stated.

Glinda looked nervous. "Who was shot?" she needed to know to calm her fears.

"Iris." Leland's voice saddened as he said the name.

It took a second for Glinda to remember that Iris was really Elphaba. When she realized this her eyes widened and she began breathing heavily. This couldn't be happening. Elphaba couldn't have been shot.

"She was shot twice on accident." Leland bit his bottom lip as it began to tremble. Memories of her falling to the ground popped back into his head.

Glinda's heavy breathing turned into a full-blown panic attack now. She clutched at her chest as it constricted making breathing difficult.

"Mommy?" Ella noticed the change in Glinda's demeanor. "Mommy are you okay?" the two-year-old grew worried.

Leland walked over towards Glinda to steady her. She began to sway back and forth from the lack of sufficient oxygen.

"Is she okay?" Glinda finally managed to ask between breaths. She closed her eyes and prayed to Oz that she was.

"She is still alive if that's what you mean." Leland responded. He really didn't know what to say. He couldn't say that she was okay because they really didn't know if she would be. She still had not waken up. He didn't want to give Glinda any chance of hope if there was none.

As Leland said this last statement Glinda knew everything was not okay. Elphaba must have seriously been injured.

"Take her." Glinda pointed to her daughter and ran in the direction of the emergency wing. Tears trailing down her face the whole way there.

She was not going to lose Elphaba or the baby. She couldn't. Fate had just given Elphaba back to her, it couldn't take her away yet.

**XXX**

Glinda ran all the way to where Elphaba was sure to be. She didn't care if she couldn't breath. Her lungs burned as if she had swallowed fire. She knew that she had never recovered from her panic attack earlier.

"Where is she?" She yelled at the doctor as she entered the room.

The doctor looked at the blonde and took in her appearance. The blonde's hair was disheveled and her face flush. Sweat poured from her forehead and she was panting heavily.

"Dear Oz Miss Glinda. Are you well?" The doctor went over to the obviously disturbed woman.

"Where's Iris?" Glinda swatted at the doctors hand that tried to probe her for an illness.

The doctor resigned his examination and pointed in the direction of Elphaba's room.

Glinda wasted no time in running over to the room and flew the door open.

The sight that caught her eyes made her knees buckle and she slumped down to the floor. Leaning against the doorframe she brought a hand up to her mouth and began to cry.

Elphaba laid lifeless in the hospital bed. She was a very pale shade of green. One that Glinda had never seen before. There was a tube inserted down her throat helping her to breathe. A bunch of ivy's lined the walls all connected to a needle protruding from Elphaba's wrist.

The doctor came over and noticed Glinda sobbing uncontrollably on the floor to Elphaba's room.

Glinda heard someone come over and lifted her head up. She was met with concerned eyes from the doctor. She brought her hand up and wiped at her eyes. She shouldn't be showing such a public display of grief to a woman she supposedly just met.

"I'm sorry." She apologized to the doctor for causing a scene. The doctor just smiled at the blonde and went over to help her stand up.

"It's okay." The doctor brushed Glinda's shoulders off. The blonde tensed at the touch.

"Is she going to be okay?" Fear engulfed the blonde's words. Tears still streamed down her face, only this time they were manageable. They weren't like the heart wrenching sobs from before.

The doctor looked over Glinda's shoulder towards Elphaba. He audibly sighed and then turned his attentions back to the blonde in front of him.

"She isn't doing too good. She was breathing on her own earlier when they brought her in but now that has stopped. She is relying on the machine to breathe for her." The doctor honestly said.

Glinda brought her hand back up to her mouth to stifle any noises that might escape.

"But will she be okay?" Glinda needed a yes or no answer. The doctor seemed to be skirting around it.

"I don't know if she will ever wake up."

**A/N: The song used is, 'Where Do I Begin' by Idina Menzel. It is on her 'I Stand' album.**


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Glinda stared at the doctor in disbelief. Did he really just say that Elphaba might never wake up?

"She has a chance though right?" Glinda had to have something to hold onto. A sliver of hope that Elphaba would be okay.

"She has a chance. But it is slim. If she doesn't wake up within two weeks then I don't think she ever will. Usually with coma patients they are that way because of head trauma. The lack of blood to Iris's brain might have caused some severe trauma we are unaware of. There is no way for us to tell." The doctor didn't want to give Glinda any false hope. He knew how dire the situation really was.

Glinda continued to cry. The next thing she needed to ask the doctor was hard for her to do. "How is the baby?" she whispered.

"Baby?" The doctor questioned. "Is Iris pregnant?" his eyes filled with concern.

"Yes." Glinda was shocked that the doctor didn't know this piece of information. She hoped that him not knowing would not jeopardize the baby's life in any way.

"Oh. Excuse me Miss Glinda." The doctor patted Glinda on the shoulder and moved over to the nurse and whispered something into her ear that Glinda couldn't quite make out.

The nurse's eyes shot open in surprise and she glanced over towards Elphaba's room. Glinda grew even more concerned with the looks on their faces. This couldn't be good.

"What's wrong?" she asked the doctor when he made his way back over to Glinda.

"The pain medicine we gave Iris is not supposed to be administered to pregnant women." The doctor looked worried.

Glinda gulped. Not only was Elphaba in a coma but also the baby might not survive.

"What happens if you give it to them?" she asked and chanced a quick glance towards Elphaba's room. That was a mistake. She saw her lover lying there unmoving which made it that much harder to keep her composure.

"Well some mothers can handle it, but very few. There have never been any instances where a baby has survived with that medicine in their first trimester." The doctor hung his head. He knew that the baby held no chance for survival with that strong of medicine. Had they know she was pregnant he could just as easily administered another type of pain medication.

"Oh." Glinda began crying again. "I think I'm going to check on her now." She motioned towards Elphaba's room.

What happened next all seemed like a dream to her. She walked away from the doctor and towards Elphaba's room. Once inside she shut the door allowing herself and Elphaba some privacy. She walked closer to where Elphaba laid and sat down in the chair next to her. She reached out and grabbed Elphaba's left hand. It was cold as ice. Glinda shuttered as the normal feeling of warmth was gone from her lover. Goosebumps ran up her arm.

"Oh Elphie please don't leave me." She kissed Elphaba's hand that she held. "I love you." She laid her head down on the side of Elphaba's bed. She was afraid to lay it on the girl for fear that she might cause her pain.

"Please come back." She sniffled into the sheets.

**XXX**

Elphaba sat crouched in a ball on the cold damp floor of the corridor. She was shivering. Everything had gotten so cold.

"So cold." Elphaba's teeth chattered. She wrapped her dress tighter around her legs. "So cold." She repeated.

Elphaba continued to repeat this many times until eventually she felt warmth returning to her left hand. Only her left hand though. The rest of her body still convulsed from the cold. She quickly used this heat to warm up her other body parts.

"Please come back." She heard the faint sound of her lover.

"Glinda?" she called out into the air. Her cold breath was visible in the dark. "Glinda where are you?" she turned her head around in search of the blonde. "Glinda I'm scared. Please help me." She pleaded.

**XXX**

Back in the hospital Glinda had cried herself to sleep on the corner of Elphaba's bed. Her hand still clasped tightly to Elphaba's.

The doctor opened the door to peek inside at his patient. He was surprised to still see Glinda there. He was especially surprised to see the position the two of them were in. Glinda's head was mere inches from the green girl's breasts, their hands tightly embraced, and Glinda looked like she had been crying non-stop.

What about this Iris girl had Glinda so worried? The doctor couldn't figure out how the two had grown apparently so close within a couple of days. He didn't really care though, as long as Glinda seemed to connect with someone was all that mattered. He had watched Glinda ever since Ella was born and knew that she had been unhappy. The only thing to ever bring Glinda happiness was her divorce and moments with Ella. All other things seemed to not matter to her.

The doctor wished there was something more he could do for Glinda but knew that it was up to Iris now. It was up to her to heal.

He slowly shut the door and left them in peace. He could check on Iris when Glinda was awake later. He knew she would be embarrassed at being caught like that.

**XXX**

"Where's my mommy?" Ella asked Leland. "Where's Elphie?" the little girl was concerned. Her mother had run off in such a rush earlier she didn't know if she was okay.

"Who is Elphie?" The guard regarded the two-year-old carefully.

Ella's eyes went wide as she remembered she wasn't supposed to speak her name. "My imaginary friend." She made up.

"How am I supposed to know where your imaginary friend is if they are imaginary?" Leland had bought Ella's lie and now grew frustrated. He did not sign up to be a guard so he could baby-sit.

"Where is mommy?" Ella tugged at Leland's uniform.

"She is in the hospital wing. She has business to take care of." Leland removed the little girls hand from his jacket. "Where is your nanny anyways?"

Ella shrugged. How was she supposed to know where her nanny was?

"Can I see mommy?" Ella continued to annoy Leland.

"No." Leland stated.

Ella knew that her only way to win this conversation was to do what two-year-olds do best.

"I want to see mommy!" she screamed at the top of her lungs and fell to the ground kicking her feet up in the air.

Leland was taken by surprise at Ella's temper tantrum. Never had he witnessed one from this child.

"Stop that Ella." He scolded the two-year-old. Staff members were stopping to stare at the pair.

"I want my mommy!" she screamed again and began crying. "AHHHHHH!" she screamed some nonexistent word.

Leland reached down to pick Ella off of the ground. She felt his arms encase her and immediately began to yell for help.

"HELP!" she yelled. "YOUR HURTING ME!!" she knew that Leland was not really hurting her but she needed to make other people believe he was.

"Quiet down you little brat." Leland tried to get Ella to stop thrashing around in his arms.

"HELP!" the little girl yelled again.

"What in Oz is going on here?" Master Guff came over to where Leland was holding Ella up in the air. His voice was harsh. He had never seen Ella act so badly and so he figured something had to be wrong.

"She is just throwing a tantrum." Leland tried to defend his actions. He knew it would be worthless though. Ella had the whole staff wrapped around her little finger.

"Put her down Master Toyik." The head guard stated. There was anger in his voice.

Against his own will Leland sat Ella down on the ground. As soon as she was out of Leland's grasp she stopped yelling and ran over to Master Guff's leg and held tightly to his pants. Her cries eventually slowing down until they were stopped all together.

"If I find out you hurt one hair on her body you will be suspended." Master Guff pointed a finger at Leland. Leland backed away from him.

"I did no such thing." He defended himself while leveling a stare at the little girl. He knew he had done nothing to harm her.

"Let's hope it stays that way." He shot back and then turned his attention towards Ella. "Here let's go sweetheart." He extended his hand out for her to grasp instead of his pant legs. She took the proffered hand immediately.

"Thank you." She sniffled a little bit. She really knew how to mooch her adorability for all it was worth. "Can I see my mommy?" she continued to sniffle.

"Of course you can." Master Guff took her hand and led her in the direction of the hospital wing. When Ella knew that Master Guff was focused on his task she turned her head around to stare back towards Leland. She saw him standing in the same position looking dumbfounded. She smiled and stuck her tongue out at him and then turned back around.

Leland watched as Ella ascended the stairs and stuck her tongue out at him. "That little bitch." He whispered under his breath.

**XXX**

Glinda woke up to a knock on the door. She looked over at Elphaba to see if anything had changed. The green woman was still in the same position she had been in when Glinda had dozed off. She sighed and removed her hand from Elphaba's.

"Come in." she called out.

The door opened to reveal Ella and Master Guff.

"Mommy!" Ella yelled and ran over to hug her mother. Glinda greedily accepted the hug and didn't want to let go. Her whole world was crashing down around her and she needed to make sure Ella was not a part of that.

"I'm sorry if I frightened you earlier." Glinda whispered into Ella's ear as tears threatened to spill. She had to be strong for Ella.

"I was worried." Ella then noticed Elphaba laying in the hospital bed. "Is she okay?"

"We have to wait and see little one." Glinda looked back towards Elphie and then back at Ella. "Why don't you go back with Master Guff and play a game or something fun. Mommy is going to be here for a long time." Glinda didn't want her daughter to wait around with her in a small stuffy room with nothing to do.

"I don't want to leave you." Ella pouted. "Iris needs us." She used the name Glinda had told her to use in public.

At hearing this Glinda began to cry. "She does need us right now sweetheart." She picked up her daughter and sat her on her lap. She then turned her attentions back towards Master Guff.

"Thank you Tahj." She used his first name to show how truly grateful she was. He puffed out his chest. It was always an honor to be on first name basis with Miss Glinda.

"It was my pleasure." He turned around to leave.

"Oh hey Tahj." Glinda called out. The man turned around and raised his eyebrows expecting a question from Glinda. "Who was the intruder?"

"We don't exactly know yet. He said his name was Emmett Thomas but we have no record of an Emmett Thomas in the land. We have searched our records and nothing has shown up. There have been a number of Emmett's but no Emmett Thomas. The closest we have is a fellow by the name of Emmett Tiggular.

Glinda's eyes shot open. Did Tahj just say the name Tiggular?

"Does this man have blue eyes, brown hair, and about 5'11?" she asked the guard.

Tahj regarded the blonde carefully. "Yes he does. How did you know that?" he was curious as to how Glinda knew what this intruder looked like.

"I believe that man you are holding is named Fiyero Tiggular, son of Emmett Tiggular." Glinda moved Ella off of her lap so she could get up from the chair. "Follow me." She motioned for them to go outside of the room. He complied.

Soon the two of them were standing face to face outside of Elphaba's room. "I didn't want Ella hearing this but that man is her biological father." Glinda knew they would find out eventually and so she thought it better to tell them now.

The head guard's eyes went wide in realization. They had almost shot down Ella's father.

"Oh I'm so sorry Miss Glinda. If we had known he was Ella's father we wouldn't have shot at him." Tahj stammered. He knew he could lose his job for doing such a thing.

"Ah hell I wish you would of hit the bastard." Glinda didn't care if they had shot Fiyero down or not. Elphaba was in a coma right now because of him.

Tahj was a little taken a back at Glinda's vulgar language. Glinda noticed the look he gave her and instantly apologized for being so rude.

"I'm sorry if my words offend you but that is how I feel. I do not want anything to do with him. I want you to all treat this like you would any other trial. Do not give him special treatment because he is Ella's father. He has never been a father to her. Understand?" Glinda told Master Guff.

"I understand. We will be very discreet with his prosecution." Tahj reassured the blonde.

"Good. I am going to want to see him later but for now I'm going to check on my girls." Glinda tried to smile. She was still too sad and now angry for it to work though.

"Of course." And with that Tahj disappeared down the hall.

Glinda sighed and headed back into Elphaba's room. When she entered the room she smiled for the first time in hours.

Ella had managed to snuggle herself in between Elphaba's left side and the guardrails on the bed. She was lightly snoring and holding onto Elphaba's hand.

Glinda moved over to her seat and sat down grabbing Elphaba's other hand cautiously since this side was the injured side.

"We all love you very much Elphie. Come back to us." She whispered into Elphaba's ear hoping that the green girl would hear her.

**XXX**

"Come back to us." Elphaba heard echoing in the chamber. Her shivering had subsided and warmth had returned to her arms and legs.

"I'm trying." She was upset that she couldn't do anything more. She kept hearing these voices and couldn't figure out where they were coming from. She looked up towards the hole in the ceiling. "If I could only get up there." She sighed.

Elphaba knew that she had searched everywhere for an exit but maybe she missed something. She got up from her place on the cold floor and began walking around. She studied every brick and pushed on them to see if they would loosen. None of them would budge.

"Grr." Elphaba growled as her second attempt to escape didn't seem to be working. "This is pointless." She threw a punch at the wall not caring if it would hurt or not.

The green girl was surprised when her arm passed straight through the brick unscathed. "What the hell?" she examined her hand over and over. There were no scratches or anything. She brought her hand back up to the wall and pushed on the bricks. They didn't budge.

"Well that's odd." She said aloud. Raising her arm up one again she quickly punched at the wall. It went through like before. Almost as if there was no wall even there.

"Maybe I have to run at it at a high speed." Elphaba shrugged. She had nothing to lose. Might as well try. She backed up to the far wall and took off running towards the other side. She closed her eyes as the wall got closer and closer. Her instincts were telling her to stop but her experience told her to keep running.

She kept running until she opened her eyes again. She was now in a different room. She turned around and saw the brick wall that she had just passed through behind her.

"Score one for Elphaba." She cheered sarcastically as she took in her new surroundings.

Standing in front of her were a dozen statues of armor. She glanced to her right and saw a never-ending passageway. She glanced to her left and saw another one.

"I guess straight it is." She said aloud and began walked towards the suits of armor.

As she got within five feet of one it came to life and drew its sword. Elphaba's eyes widened as she saw the other eleven soldiers come to life and unsheathe their weapons.

"Well this is just dandy." She didn't think her personal hell could get any worse.

She was wrong.


	19. Chapter 18

**A/N: I'm sorry this chapter is so short but I can't really see what I am doing. I scratched my left eye and so now I have to wear a patch…I look like a freaking pirate. That being said…staring at a computer with one eye while the other is tearing up is not that easy. Hopefully I can write more once I heal. In the meantime the chapters will stay short. It's all I can manage. Sorry!**

**Chapter 18**

A week passed and there were still no signs of life emanating from the green woman. Glinda stayed by her bedside every second of the day. She stayed so much that eventually Master Guff brought her a cot to sleep on.

"Any change?" Master Guff peeked his head through the door. Glinda sat on her cot reading over some papers for work.

At hearing someone speak to her the blonde looked up and smiled. "None so far." She glanced over at Elphaba and frowned.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Any news of the baby?" Master Guff walked into the room and sat down in the chair.

"The heartbeat is still really strong so that is a good sign." Glinda half-smiled. She was glad that the baby seemed to be doing all right.

"That's good." The guard was happy that something positive was coming from this whole situation.

"Did Iris ever tell you anything about her family? She might have some worried husband out there that we should notify." The guard looked concerned.

Glinda shook her head. "She has no family." She hated saying this because it wasn't true. She and Ella were Elphaba's family.

"Okay." A moment of silence passed between the two. Tahj gathered enough courage to say what he had been thinking during the moment of silence. "Staying cooped up in here all day isn't healthy for you Miss Glinda. You should really go get some fresh air."

Glinda heard his words and understood that he meant well. "Thank you but I'm not going to leave her." She had decided a week ago she would never leave her side.

"Very well." Tahj seemed disappointed.

The whole staff had noticed the change in Glinda's behavior over the past week. They all noticed how she cried herself to sleep, how she never let go of the injured woman's hand, and how protective she was around her. They had witnessed the love that Glinda obviously had for this young woman. The majority of the staff members thought they had become beat friends. It was only the staff closest to Glinda who knew otherwise. Glinda had not come out and told them, but there was no way she couldn't love the woman whose side she never left.

Tahj had been one of the lucky few that Glinda had let in over the past week. He visited the hospital wing every chance he had. Tahj was an older gentleman and had witnessed a lot of love in his past. He knew that Glinda had finally found the one for her and fate could not take that away just yet. He felt it was his fatherly duty to take care of the blonde and see that she had everything she required.

"Is there anything you would like for me to get you while I am in town today?" the older man offered.

"No thank you." Glinda denied his offer.

"Very well then." The guard made his way towards the door to exit.

"Hey Tahj." Glinda called out.

"Yes Glinda?" he dropped the formality.

"Thank you. Really." She was grateful for all he had done for her over the past couple of days.

"No problem." He smiled back at Glinda and exited the room.

Once he had exited Glinda looked back towards Elphie and began stroking her fingers up and down the girls arm.

"I miss you my love." She said in a hushed voice. "The baby is doing fine." She told Elphaba. She had gotten in the habit of just talking to Elphaba while no one was around. She would talk about anything and everything. "The other day Ella was in here and she wanted me to make sure that I told you she said hi. She really misses you Elphie. We all do." The blonde continued stroking up the length of Elphaba's arm.

"Elphie I know you can hear me." Glinda stopped stroking and placed her hand on a green cheek instead. "I want you to know that I love you." She leaned up and kissed the green girl on the forehead. "And I will love you always." She placed another kiss on her cheek. "Don't be afraid to come back my love. It's okay. You are safe here." She placed one more kiss on Elphaba's mouth before pulling back.

She stared down at her lover. "Oh how I miss your eyes Elphie. I want you to wake up so I can see your eyes." She sighed. She closed her eyes as a single tear drop fell to the green woman's face.

**XXX**

Elphaba dodged around a corner as a spear was thrown in her direction.

"Okay think Elphie. Think." She looked around were she had been hiding. Her eyes spotted something shiny in the opposite corner next to one of the fallen soldiers. It was a sword.

She glanced back around and saw that no one had followed her down one of the endless passageways. Gaining her momentum, she crouched down ready for take off. She needed all the speed she could get if she were to reach the sword.

"One…two…three!" she kicked off from the ground and sprinted over to wear the sword was located. As she got ten feet away she heard the loud clash of metal behind her. She dove onto the ground and slid the rest of the way to the sword. Picking it up just in time she swung it behind her back to attack.

A loud clinking of metal echoed around her. She turned her head to see she had met her target. The suit of armor stumbled backwards allowing Elphaba time to stand.

As she steadied herself she felt a tingling on her lips as if someone had kissed her. Empowered by this new feeling she swung her sword forcefully towards her attacker. The attacker ducked and caught Elphaba by surprise. Lifting his sword he swung at her side missing the green woman by nearly an inch.

Elphaba had to be more careful next time. She retreated back to the column she had dodged behind before. She ducked down and tried to catch her breath.

She had already taken care of nearly ten of the soldiers but it was taking its toll on her. She was beyond exhausted. The only thing that kept her going was the thought of Ella and Glinda on the other side of this room. Or so she hoped.

"Ahhh!" she yelled a battle cry as she once again lifted herself from the ground and ran towards the suit of armor. The closer she got, the more scared she became. If she messed up just once, that would be all. There were no redo's.

She lifted her sword and sliced through the air. The suit of armor stood its ground and tightened the grip on its sword.

There was a clash of metal as Elphaba once again hit the opponent with the sharp end of her sword.

"Ha!" she yelled in victory as the helmet to the suit of armor fell to the floor. Dust from the floor flew up causing the green woman to cough. "Eleven down one to go."

**XXX**

"Doctor! Come quick!" Glinda yelled down the hall. Her voice was panicked. Once she saw the doctor running towards her she ran back into Elphaba's room.

"Elphie!" she yelled at the green woman and began shaking her by the shoulders. "Elphie wake up!" tears trailed down the blonde's cheek.

The doctor came running into Elphaba's room. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"She coughed! She's awake!" Glinda looked towards the doctor.

The doctor heard Glinda say this and suddenly felt a pang of guilt. He should have told her that coma patients often cough. Just because they were in a coma didn't mean they lost all function of their body.

"What are you waiting for? She's awake." Glinda yelled to the doctor. She was frustrated he was doing nothing but standing there.

The doctor took a deep breath and looked towards Glinda. "She is not awake."

Glinda stared back at the doctor in disbelief. She had just witnessed Elphaba cough. Surely if she could do that then she must be awake.

"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you before. Coma patients can still cough in their sleep." The doctor's voice was sad. He hated having to break down what was left of Glinda's hope.

"But she coughed. That must mean something." Glinda didn't want to believe the doctor.

"I'm afraid it doesn't mean anything." The doctor frowned.

"But…but…sh…she…was..so…close." Glinda sobbed as realization hit her. She had thought Elphaba had returned to her.

"I'm sorry Miss Glinda." The doctor shut the door allowing Glinda some time alone.

Glinda was left in the room worse off than before. What little hope she had for Elphaba waking up had been demolished by the doctor.

"Oh Elphie I hate you." She cried as she sat down on the floor not even managing to make it over to the cot. "You tricked me. You fucking tricked me!" she yelled loudly. All her sorrow and grief were turning into anger. "You said you'd never leave me and look what you did!" she got up from her position on the floor.

"I hope you're happy off in whatever world you are in now!" she went over to the door and flung it open. "See if I wait around on you anymore." She slammed the door behind her and for the first time in a week left the hospital wing.


	20. Chapter 19

**A/N: I feel bad about giving you such a short chapter before that I hope to make up for it with this one. And yes I am feeling slightly better, eyes are the fastest healing organ on your body…did you know that?**

**Chapter 19**

"Where the hell is he?" Glinda fumed as she rushed into the dungeons. Leland was on duty that day and was surprised to see Glinda away from the hospital wing.

"Where is he?" Glinda repeated with more force this time. Leland was a little frightened at how much venom was in her voice.

"Who?" Leland asked although he knew whom she was talking about.

"That bastard that got Iris shot." Glinda yelled and snapped her head around searching for him.

"Calm down Miss Glinda." Leland tried to calm the blonde. This was a mistake however.

"CALM DOWN?" Glinda yelled and flailed her arms around. "I AM FUCKING CALM!" she shot a glance at Leland that caused him to cower away. "Now where to hell is he?"

"This way." Leland's voice shook as he offered to escort her to where Fiyero was held. He was afraid of what Glinda might do if left alone with him.

Glinda stormed after Leland. All her sadness had turned into anger. She was angry with everyone. Angry with Elphaba for not waking up, Fiyero for getting her shot, and her whole staff for acting like she was a delicate little flower. She was sick and tired of being treated like a basket case.

"He's in here." Leland pulled out a key and unlocked one of the cells.

As soon as Fiyero heard the key inserted into the lock he looked up. It had been a week since he had been captured and he was growing weary. Certainly if Elphaba had found out he was here she would have come and seen him. Maybe this was her.

When the door opened he looked up and was met by a set of blue eyes. He knew who this was right away even though she looked a little out of sorts.

"Glinda." He stood up as Glinda entered the room. "Nice of you to…"

_WHACK._

Glinda's fist flew into the side of Fiyero's face.

"What the hell was that for?" Fiyero brought his hand up to the side where Glinda had punched him. He had to admit, for as small as she was she packed a mean punch.

"Don't you dare." She pointed an accusing finger at Fiyero. "There is a poor defenseless woman struggling for her life because of you." She spat out and resisted the urge to hit him again.

Leland stood transfixed by what was happening in front of him. Never in his life had he seen so much anger in the petite blonde. It kind of amused him.

"That is your guards fault. Not mine." Fiyero tried to defend himself. Before he knew it a small dainty hand was wrapped around his throat blocking his windpipes from collecting oxygen. He gasped and struggled against the blonde's hand.

"Leland leave the room." Glinda yelled towards the guard never letting go of Fiyero's throat.

Fiyero flashed the guard a look that said don't leave. Leland looked at the intruder and suddenly felt sorry for him but decided that he could not disobey a direct order. He was already under enough trouble and so he removed himself from the room.

Glinda was left clasping her hand against Fiyero's throat. The man's breathing became labored.

"Do you have any idea how much damage you have caused?" Glinda yelled. She didn't care if all of Oz could hear her at this moment.

"Let go." Fiyero gasped for air. The blonde only tightened her grip and pushed him backwards into the wall. He hit his head hard enough that he was sure she had cracked it open.

"DO YOU!" She yelled again.

"I'm sorry." He said but he wasn't. He only said that to get out of his current situation. He reached his hand back and with all the strength left in him threw his right arm up to push the blonde off of him.

Glinda gasped as she got the wind knocked out of her from Fiyero. She grabbed her stomach and looked up. "You're going to pay for that." She seethed.

Fiyero's eyes grew wide as he realized how angry Glinda actually was. _"Oh shit." _He thought to himself.

Glinda narrowed her eyes at the man in front of her. She had never felt so angry with anyone in her life. She had felt upset and pissed off sure. But this feeling right now was unexplainable. She seriously considered killing the man in front of her for all the pain he had caused. Not only was he the reason Elphaba was shot, he was the reason she lost her virginity, he was the reason she had to raise Ella alone, he was the reason Elphaba hadn't come to her sooner. He was responsible for everything wrong in the blonde's life.

She finally couldn't stand being idle anymore. She rushed forward and before Fiyero had a chance to think, Glinda pounced on him.

Fiyero tumbled backwards and fell to the ground with Glinda on top of him.

"What the…" he let out before a punch hit him square in the jaw. The first blow was quickly followed by another and then another.

Glinda didn't know what had overcome her but she kept hitting Fiyero, using him as a punching bag.

"This is for Elphie." She punched him. "This is for being an ass." She punched him again. "This is for leaving me alone to raise a child." She punched him another time. "This is for taking my innocence." She punched again.

Fiyero tried to move his head away from the blows but was unsuccessful. The full weight of Glinda had him pinned to the ground. He wasn't going anywhere.

"Help!" Fiyero tried to yell for help. Hopefully some guard would hear him and come to his aid.

"This is for getting that poor woman shot." She punched him again. "This is for lying to Elphie about me." She punched him again.

Fiyero was bleeding profusely from his nose. He knew it had been broken from the amount of blood that poured from it. "Help!" he yelled again.

Someone heard him this time and the door slowly opened.

"What is going on here?" Master Guff opened the door to see Glinda sitting on top of Fiyero punching him wildly.

Glinda heard Master Guff enter the room but didn't care. Instead of punching Fiyero's face though she decided to punch him in the stomach.

"Miss Glinda!" Tahj went over to where the blonde was. "Miss Glinda!" he called again.

Glinda finally stilled her bloodstained hand and looked up.

When Tahj saw the look in Glinda's eyes he became scared. Never had he seen such hatred before. Glinda was breathing heavily and her usual bright eyes were almost a dark grey color.

"What!" she snapped.

"Come with me." Tahj helped Glinda up off of Fiyero but not before Glinda gave him a kick where the sun doesn't shine.

"ARGH!" Fiyero yelped and reached his hands down towards his manhood.

Glinda stepped over his body and was led out of the room by Master Guff. Once outside Tahj sat the shaking girl down on a bench outside of the cell.

"Did he hurt you?" He asked the distraught woman. Glinda shook her head no. "Good. Now you just stay here and calm down. I mean it." He patted the blonde on the shoulder before walking into the cell she had just been in.

"Your not going to let her get away with that are you?" Fiyero called out as he saw who entered the room. The man was still crouched on the floor balled up.

"Get away with what? Nothing happened here." Master Guff informed Fiyero.

The man's eyes shot open. "But…" he began but was cut off by the guard.

"But nothing. Now you listen up." It was his turn to take a stab at Fiyero. "If you ever, _ever,_ hurt a hair on that girl's body not only will you have me to deal with you will have the whole gale force. You are already in enough trouble as it is without making it worse for yourself. Now what happened today was a mere accident. You slipped and fell. That is all." The guard shot a warning glance over towards Fiyero.

Fiyero sat on the ground unmoving. He didn't believe this! What had just happened was huge. Glinda would have probably killed him if that guard hadn't walked in when he had. But they were willing to act as if nothing had happened? This wasn't fair.

"Life's not fair." The guard said causing Fiyero to realize that he must have said his last thought aloud. "Now I suggest you clean yourself up. You look like shit." The guard chuckled and opened the door back out into the hall.

Fiyero was left on the cold floor all alone.

**XXX**

"Hold out my sweet! I'm coming!" Elphaba yelled as she disarmed her last opponent.

She had tracked down the last suit of armor and had found this one particularly difficult to take on. It seemed to have the combined strength of all of the other suits of armor. It had the speed, the agility, and the cleverness. Everything the Elphaba had had up until recently. Her speed had degraded considerably, Her agility had weakened, and her brain became tired and unwilling to think.

It wasn't until Elphaba made an accidental move that she had gained the upper hand. She thanked Oz for accidents at that moment.

"Ha!" Elphaba once again yelled as her opponent's sword fell to the floor. The green woman was so close. One more blow to the suit of armor and she will have defeated them all. She raised her sword high above her head and was about to drop it down when she heard a familiar voice fill the air.

"Oh Elphie I hate you." She heard echo around the room. The voice was unmistakably Glinda's.

Elphaba's eyes fell as she heard the hate within those words. This had to be some trick being played on her. Glinda couldn't hate her. The words served as enough of a distraction for the suit of armor to pick back up his sword.

Before Elphaba saw it coming her opponent lunged forward and the sword entered her right shoulder.

"AHHH!" she yelled in pain and clutched at her shoulder as blood began seeping from the new wound.

**XXX**

Master Guff exited the room and went over to where Glinda had been rocking back and forth on the bench. He was glad to see that the blonde had obeyed orders and stayed in place.

"Are you okay?" There was concern is his voice as he sat down next to a still shaking Glinda.

"I don't know." Glinda said truthfully. Her anger had ebbed slightly from before but she still felt so much she didn't know what to do with it. She had already resorted to physical violence and that hadn't worked. She didn't know what else would work.

Tahj saw the confusion engulf the blonde's facial features. He knew that whatever had just happened was the reason for this reaction. Having dealt with grief himself he knew anger was all part of the process. The only way for her to let go of this anger was to let everything go. He moved closer to the blonde and wrapped a friendly arm around her waist.

Glinda looked up as she felt the man's arm wrap around her. "I don't know what to do." There was desperation in her voice that she wasn't aware she felt.

"I know." Tahj nodded his head in understanding. There was nothing he could do for Glinda except try and comfort her.

Glinda looked at the older man's eyes and knew he was offering her comfort, a safe haven where she could be herself with him. Her shaking stopped and the anger slowly faded into pain.

She felt pain at what she had done and said. She shouldn't have said those hurtful things towards Elphaba. She shouldn't have taken her anger out on Fiyero like that, no matter how much he deserved it.

Tahj tightened his grip around the blonde as he felt her ease into his embrace. The two sat in silence for a time before sounds of crying filled the air. He looked over and found Glinda crying into her two hands.

"Hey it's okay." He whispered words of comfort. "Everything is going to be okay." He rubbed her back trying to soothe the blonde.

Glinda continued to cry. Her cries eventually deepened into sobs. She had thought she had dealt with this by now. She thought she had put her grief away and would be strong for Elphie and Ella. They needed her to be strong. She had been wrong. She hadn't gotten rid of the emotions, she had only suppressed this until they had piled up enough causing her to burst.

"I miss her so much." She cried into her hands. Tahj drew the girl in for a hug where she rested her head on his shoulder and cried some more. Water seeped through the guard's shirt allowing him to feel how much pain the girl had to be in.

"I miss her." Glinda repeated and continued to shake.

"I know you do." Tahj reached his hand up and began stroking the blonde's hair. "We all do."

"I love her." Glinda was more forward with her feelings than she realized. When she finally thought about what she had just let slip her eyes opened in shock. She stopped crying and looked up into Tahj's eyes to see if he had heard what she had just said.

He smiled down at Glinda. "Finally you admit it." He teased the blonde earning a slight cry mixed with laughter.

"I'm sorry if this offends you Tahj." She bit her bottom lip nervously.

"The only thing that would offend me would be you denying your true feelings. I am happy for you." Tahj truthfully admitted and placed a soft kiss on the top of Glinda's head. "Now how about you and I go check on the woman who has stolen your heart."

Glinda smiled up at Tahj. She had taken him for granted until now. Now that he accepted her truly, how could Glinda not have a place in her heart for him?

"I'd like that very much." She held out her hand and Tahj helped her up from the bench. "I think I owe you an apology."

"For what?" Tahj looked confused as he walked Glinda up the stairs from the dungeon.

"For not telling you earlier." Glinda allowed herself to be led by Tahj.

"Don't be sorry. You had your reasons and I respect them." He stated officially and then turned the situation more light hearted. "Plus it's not like we couldn't tell anyways." He laughed.

Glinda eyed him suspiciously. "We?" she asked. Who else had known about her and Elphie being in love?

"Oh come on Glinda. You are not exactly the most discrete person in all of Oz." he joked.

"How so?" she continued to walk along side Tahj until they reached the second floor. Two floors up was the hospital wing.

"Hum lets see…" he lifted up his finger and began pointing to each digit as he named off a reason. "You are always holding her hand, you never leave her side, you disappeared from around the palace once she came in the picture, you cry yourself to sleep over her." He pointed to his last finger. "And one time you called her name out in your sleep." He added playfully.

Glinda's eyes shot open and her face flushed. Had Tahj really heard her call the name Iris out in her sleep? Oh sweet Oz.

"Okay, okay so I suck at being discrete." She agreed, her face still a bright shade of red.

"Ah but discretion never was your strong suit." Tahj laughed as they had finally reached their destination.

"What's going on?" Glinda's smile turned into a frown as she saw doctors in front of her racing towards Elphaba's room. "Oh no!" she broke her contact with Tahj and ran towards Elphaba's room.

"She's crashing!" she heard one of the doctor's yell as they placed pressure on one of her shoulders.

Glinda peeked in the room to see blood staining the sheets. One of Elphaba's stitches must have broke.

"Oh no." she lifted her hand up to her mouth. If only she had been here with Elphie she could have prevented this. But no, she had to become all pissed off and leave. The last thing she had said to Elphaba was she hated her. This wasn't true. The blonde let tears fall down her face as she watched one of the doctors perform CPR on her lover.

"Breath damn it." The doctor was frustrated. Elphaba had been doing okay up until now. He wasn't sure what had caused the girl's stitches to break. He didn't know how much time had passed until someone found her in this condition.

Glinda continued to stare into her lover's room as Tahj came up next to her.

"Go to her!" he snapped the blonde out of her state of shock. "She needs you by her side." He pushed Glinda in the direction of Elphaba's bed.

Glinda slowly walked into the room. It was crowded but Glinda still managed to weave her way in and out of all of the chaos. She couldn't let the last words she said to Elphaba be ones of hate.

The blonde reached the side of her bed in what seemed to take years but in reality only took seconds. She reached out her hand and took hold of Elphaba's. It was colder than the first time she had tried to hold it.

"Sweetheart." Glinda crouched down next to Elphaba's bed. She didn't care what was going on around her. She didn't care that the doctors were stopping to stare at the blonde.

"Sweetheart." Glinda repeated. "I need you to pull through for me. I'm so sorry about what I said earlier. I don't hate you." She needed to say that. She reached up her other hand and cupped Elphaba's face with her hand. Leaning up she whispered something into her ear.

"I love you." She whispered. She moved her head back and hovered over the green woman's face. No one else mattered in this moment. She reached forward and kissed Elphaba on the lips.

All of the doctors stood still as they watched Glinda place a soft kiss on this woman's lips. It wasn't a chaste kiss either. Their suspicions about Glinda and this woman had now been confirmed.

"Come back to me." Glinda pulled back and looked down at Elphaba's face.

"The bleeding stopped!" the doctor who held the gauze to the girl's shoulder yelled.

"She's breathing again!" another doctor yelled.

There was a moment of relief for everyone in the room. Now that the bleeding had stopped they could sew her back up and things would be okay. Right?

**XXX**

Elphaba dropped to her knees as the pain from her shoulder became too overwhelming. The suit of armor was getting closer and closer. It was dragging out the punishment that Elphaba was about to suffer through. The punishment of death.

"I'm sorry I failed you." Elphaba cried out. She felt like a failure. She had promised Glinda she would never leave her again and here she was injured and about to die. There was no getting out of it.

The suit of armor was now a foot away. It raised its sword high in the air just as Elphaba had done earlier.

The green woman closed her eyes waiting for impact. There was nothing she could do but wait to be hit.

She had lost all hope.

Swoosh. The sound of the metal sword swooping through the air was the last sounds Elphaba would hear.

She was wrong. The last sound that filled Elphaba's ears was Glinda's sweet voice.

"Come back to me." She heard her love say. Elphaba opened her eyes and found herself back in the same brick room as before.

There were no suits of armor around, no endless hallways, only the circular dome and the one hole in the ceiling, which allowed light to pass through.

"Well that was a hell of a thing." Elphaba stood up and held her injured shoulder that seemed to have stopped bleeding.

She quickly looked around the room to make sure the suit of armor really wasn't anywhere hidden. When she was satisfied that it wasn't she looked back towards the hole in the ceiling.

"Okay I need to get to you but how?" she said aloud as a thought came to her.

"I got it!" she yelled before running in the direction of the brick well where the armor had been.


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Glinda and Ella lay asleep on the cot next to Elphaba's bed. Ella was snuggled up against her mother and snoring lightly. Glinda had one arm draped around her daughter and the other holding onto Elphaba's hand. All was quiet and peaceful. The only noise that filled the air were the light inhale and exhales of breath.

It had taken Glinda forever to finally settle down and allow sleep to take her. Her swirling thoughts and feelings would not allow her to relax enough for sleep. The sun was starting to rise by the time Glinda finally dozed off. She knew she would not sleep for long. Ella would be up in a couple of hours and wanting to do something.

True to her word a couple of hours later Ella began to stir. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked around the room. Ella frowned as she saw Elphaba was still not awake yet. She wished she would wake up so that her mommy would be happy again.

Turning her attention back towards her mother she saw that she was still asleep. Instead of waking her like she normally would, she let her sleep. Ella could handle being unentertained for a while if that meant that her mother was sleeping peacefully.

The two-year-old sighed and removed herself from her mothers embrace. Glinda moved a little but remained asleep.

Ella went over to the other side of Elphaba's bed hoping to gain some distance from her mother. She didn't want her waking up from Ella's voice.

The two-year-old reached the other side and stepped up on a nearby stool so that she could reach Elphaba. Once her hand was able to reach out she brought it to the green girls hair. Playing with it she began to speak.

"Please wake up." She pleaded in a hushed voice. "Please." She continued stroking the green woman's hair, braiding the side of it as she had seen her mother do before.

"Mommy is sad without you." The little girl thought that if Elphaba knew how much her mother really missed her then she would come back. "She cries at night." Ella stilled her hand and looked down towards Elphaba's wounds.

"I don't understand." She stated. "You are all fixed. Why won't you wake up?" she brought her hand down to where Elphaba's gauze lay upon her skin.

A single tear fell from the girl's eyes and landed on top of the gauze. Ella couldn't understand why Elphaba couldn't just wake up. She had seen people sleep before but never for so long. She didn't understand what was happening and why her mother was so sad. Elphaba would wake up eventually and everything would be okay. She tried telling her mother this the night before but that just seemed to make her mother sadder.

"You need to wake up." She stated again and looked up towards Elphaba's face to see if she heard her.

The green woman showed no indication that she had. Ella's little heart broke. She hated that she couldn't do anything to wake this woman up. She hated that her mother was so sad.

She lifted herself up from the stool and flung her leg over the side and climbed into the bed. There was enough room between Elphaba and the guardrail that she was sure she wouldn't bother her wounds.

She nudged herself between Elphaba's arm and the side of the bed. Laying her head down on Elphaba's chest she began to cry softly.

Glinda awoke to the sound of crying in the room. She looked down to see that Ella was no longer in bed with her. She looked towards Elphaba's bed and saw where the noise came from.

Lying across Elphaba's chest was her daughter weeping quietly. The scene before her broke her heart.

"Sweetie." Glinda spoke up. Ella looked up when she heard her mother's voice. "What's wrong?" Glinda got up out of bed and walked over to where Ella was.

"I don't get it." Ella brought her hand up to try and dry her tears. She hated accidentally waking up her mother.

"What don't you get?" Glinda reached over and pulled Ella away from Elphaba so that her daughter sat in her lap.

"Why won't she wake up?" Ella clung to her mother. Glinda was afraid of this. She knew that someone as young as Ella wouldn't be able to understand what was going on.

"She's ill Ella. She needs to get better before she can wake up." Glinda slowly rocked Ella in her arms.

"She doesn't look sick though." Ella allowed herself to be rocked. It had been awhile since Glinda had done this action and Ella found it comforting.

"I know she doesn't look it on the outside, but on the inside she is sick." Glinda began humming a tune into her daughter's ear trying to ease her pain.

"I want her to wake up." Ella pouted. Glinda smiled and continued to hum.

"I do too." Glinda broke away from her humming to say this and then quickly resumed.

Ella was going to say something more but found herself becoming sleepy once again. She tried to stay awake but her mothers voice and the rocking motion was too much for her. She allowed her eyes to shut and she once again fell asleep.

Glinda heard her daughters breathing slow down and knew she was asleep. She continued rocking back and forth and humming, more for her benefit than her daughters. It was a distraction from what was going on at the moment.

It broke Glinda's heart for her daughter to be in pain over what had happened to Elphaba. She knew this was all too much for the little girl to handle.

Glinda continued rocking her daughter and eventually fell back asleep herself.

**XXX**

Elphaba groaned as she used all of her strength to drag a suit of armor behind her towards the brick wall.

"Come on damn it." Elphaba cursed her shoulder for not cooperating.

Elphaba had had the idea to stack the suits of armor on top of one another. Maybe then she could climb them and reach the top of the dome. So far she had managed to drag seven of the pieces of armor out. Once she arrived back in the brick dome she would stack them in one corner and take a ten-minute break before going back.

Elphaba saw the brick wall in sight and picked up the armor with both hands, cradling it in her arms. It took all her strength to hold big chunks of pure metal and run with them.

She ran towards the wall with lightening fast speed and was soon inside the brick dome. She dropped the armor while breathing heavily. This had been easy the first few times but was now becoming increasingly difficult.

The weight put on her injured shoulder did not help the situation at all. Elphaba prayed that this idea would work; if not she didn't know what else to do nor did she have the strength for anything else.

Elphaba rested a few minutes regaining her composure. When she felt ready she went over to where she had dropped the armor and picked it up sliding it over to the pile she had created.

Stacking the suits of armor had been a lot more difficult than she assumed it would be. She had to hoist the armor over her head to put it on top of the other one.

Once she finished she stood back and admired her handy work. The Pile was about 7 feet tall. She tried to calculate that in her head.

"_Okay so you are five foot four inches tall, the armor is seven feet, that would mean…" _she tried to work out the math in her head. She factored in the hole in the ceiling as twenty feet away_._

"I'm still seven feet and eight inches short of the hole." She said aloud and then realized what that meant for her. "Damn it!" she cursed. Even with her arms reaching towards the hole that added only about another foot or so. She tried factoring her arm span in and came to the conclusion that she would still be a good six feet and a couple of inches short. She needed more armor.

She backed away and tried to figure how many more pieces of armor it would take. She had captured eight all together and knew there were three still left in the other room. That made eleven total.

She tried calculating how many suits of armor she had now and how much space each of them took up. When she added the three other suits she would go back and get she was still short a foot or so. There was no way she was going to jump and try and hold on with her arm the way it was. Her shoulder would surely tear and make matters much worse for her. She even had the possibility that she might fall to factor in. She would be twenty feet up in the air and if she fell she might have more than just her shoulder to worry about.

She needed that twelfth piece of armor. The one she had yet to defeat.

Trying not to think about that just yet she readied herself to go back into the other room. She would retrieve the three other pieces of armor and see if her calculations had been correct.

"Here goes nothing." She huffed and then once again disappeared behind a brick wall.

**XXX**

Fiyero lay still on the floor of his cell coughing. He had just had the shit kicked out of him by his former girlfriend. He was wallowing in his own self-pity when he heard the door to his cell open up. He shut his eyes afraid of what might happen next.

"Are you all right?" Fiyero heard someone question him. He opened up his eyes to see one of the guards staring down at him.

"Fine." Fiyero choked out and tried to stand. It had been the same guard that had escorted Glinda in to see him earlier.

"You don't look fine." Leland moved over and offered out his hand to help Fiyero up.

"I'm fine." Fiyero stated once again. He didn't want anyone to know how much pain Glinda had caused him. He figured if they knew it had been the little petite blonde who beat him up than they would surely laugh at him.

"All right." Leland helped Fiyero over to his cot. Fiyero sat down and moved his hand up to wipe some blood from his nose. The blonde had definitely broken it.

"What do you want? Come to torture me some more?" Fiyero spat out. He didn't care if he was nice to the guard or not. They had been anything but mean to him since he arrived. In Fiyero's eyes he was innocent. The only thing he ever did to truly hurt someone was to punch one little guard out and take his outfit. That was all! Yet they were treating him as if he had raped a little kid or murdered someone of high standing.

"No." Leland stated. "I came to see how you were." There was sincerity in Leland's tone that was surprising to both him and Fiyero.

"You came to see how I was?" Fiyero replied in disbelief. His jaw hung slightly open.

"Yes." Leland nodded his head. "I may not like you for what you caused to happen to an innocent woman, but that wasn't entirely your fault. Miss Glinda should not have beaten you up like that."

Fiyero was grateful there was one person in this palace that had seen past his or her own bias. "I never meant for that woman to get shot." Fiyero honestly said. He really hadn't meant for anyone to be harmed. All he wanted to do was get to Elphaba and talk to her.

"I believe that." Leland didn't know what to believe so he agreed with Fiyero. "I am curious though…" he started to talk. Fiyero looked up at him willing to answer any question from the one man that believed him in the whole palace. "When we met earlier and I asked you why you were here why did you say love?"

Fiyero hadn't been expecting this sort of question. He had expected more drilling on who he was and why he wanted to harm Miss Glinda.

"I _am_ here for love." Fiyero stated and then decided to elaborate. "I am in love with a woman who left me to go back to Glinda."

"Back to Glinda?" Leland was curious as to what Fiyero meant.

"The love of my life used to be best friends with Glinda. I ran into Glinda the other day and found out that my love had come here. I knew that there was no way to get to her unless I snuck inside. That's when this whole mess started." Fiyero sighed. Now he would never get to Elphaba.

"What is her name?" Leland was curious. No one had entered the palace recently except Iris and Glinda and Iris had never met before she came to the palace. Surely if they had then they wouldn't have acted like they didn't know one another.

"I can't tell you that." Fiyero replied. He really couldn't speak Elphaba's name. For as much as he hated her right now he was too much in love with her to hurt her like that. He would lose all chance at getting back with her if he spoke the name Elphaba in front of anyone.

"Why not?" Leland was suspicious. Why was this man not telling him the name of his love?

"She wouldn't want me to." Fiyero honestly said. Leland regarded the man beside him and decided not to push the subject any further.

"What does she look like then?" Maybe if Leland could gain a description then he could match up someone to it.

Fiyero tried to decide if giving a description was safe enough or not. When he decided that no one had probably seen her since she was green then it would be okay.

"She is beyond gorgeous." He smiled as he recounted everything he loved about the witch. "She has jet black hair, dark brown eyes, angular features, and the cutest smile in the world."

Leland listened and tried to think of anyone who matched his description to the woman he described. The only person he knew who fit all of those was Iris. He asked a few more questions to see if his idea panned out.

"How tall is she?" he asked innocently enough.

Fiyero had to think for a moment or so. "Five foot four I think." He replied.

That was the height of Iris. He had to ask another question. "Is her hair curly?"

Fiyero laughed as he imagined Elphaba with curly hair. "No. She has the straightest, longest hair I have ever seen.

Leland had asked all the questions he wanted to ask Fiyero. There was only one person that fit that description and she was in a coma right now.

Leland had something against Iris now that he could use to his advantage. Her ex had tried to sneak into Glinda's palace only days after Iris's arrival. He was sure that he could come up with some kind of scheme where the two of them were still linked. He could tell Master Guff that Iris had provided inside help to get him that far.

Once all of Oz knew of her treachery then they would want nothing to do with her and she would be sentenced to death for treason.

On the other hand Leland now had something he could hang over the other girls head to get his way. He could blackmail her saying that if she didn't love him then he would tell everyone of her connection with Fiyero.

Leland exited the cellblock happier than he had been in a long time. He was finally going to get his way.

**XXX**

Glinda awoke to a light tapping on the door. She looked up and saw Tahj's head sticking through the door.

"Good morning Glinda." He smiled and entered the room.

"Morning Tahj." Glinda smiled back. Ella was still asleep on her stomach and chest and so she chose to speak quietly.

"I give you a cot and still you fall asleep in that blasted chair." He joked and pointed towards the chair Glinda was in.

"I didn't fall asleep here last night. I was just napping." She chuckled.

Tahj was happy to see that Glinda was still able to laugh in her current state. He noticed the little girl asleep in her mother's arms.

"How is Ella doing with all of this?" He was concerned for the little girl. He knew that two-years-old was too young to have to deal with any of this.

Glinda sighed as she remembered back to earlier. "Not so good. She doesn't understand why Iris just can't wake up." Glinda's voice became sad once again.

"It's hard on a kid that young Glinda. Hell it's hard on anyone." He tried to tell the blonde that this wasn't her fault, and that all kids would not be able to understand what was going on.

"I know it is." She agreed. "I just hate seeing her in pain over not being able to comprehend this." Glinda began rocking back and forth again once she felt Ella move in her arms. She didn't want Ella to wake up just yet. She wanted her to stay in a peaceful sleeping state for as long as possible. At least there she would be away from all of this drama and pain.

Tahj didn't know what else he could say to ease Glinda's mind. There was nothing he could really do. He couldn't force the woman Glinda loved to wake up any more than she could. Glinda and Ella would stay in the same mood until something happened. Either they would have to let Iris go or they would continue to be in pain. He hoped they wouldn't have to pick either option. He wished that the woman could just wake up.

"How is Iris today?" Tahj finally thought of something to ask. He had forgotten to ask about Iris when he walked in the door.

"Same." Glinda replied and tried to plaster on a smile. She continued to rock back and forth with Ella in her arms.

"And the baby?" Tahj asked.

"Same." Glinda replied monotone.

Tahj realized that all he would receive from the blonde at that moment in time were one-word responses.

"Okay. Well I'm going to head off. My shift starts in about one hour." He got up from a chair he had been sitting in.

Glinda watched Tahj walk towards the door. She knew that she shouldn't have been rude with him and should have been more welcoming to speak with, but she couldn't bring herself to feel guilty about it.

"Take care." She said as he exited the room leaving her alone with Ella and Elphaba once again.

"Come back to me." Glinda whispered into the air not really loud enough for anyone to hear.

**XXX**

Elphaba had managed to drag the remaining suits of armor to the encased brick dome. She had stacked them on top of one another and now began to climb them being cautious of where she stepped.

She had decided to use only eleven of the suits of armor and chance a leap towards the hole in the ceiling. She hoped that this decision would not be one that she regretted later.

Her instincts had told her to take the leap and believe in herself but her mind told her she needed the last suit of armor to make it. She decided a leap of faith was required in this circumstance. She needed to get to Glinda and didn't have any more time to waste on tracking down and killing another suit of armor.

Not only did she lack the will to do so she also lacked the stamina. She would be able to defeat her opponent under normal circumstances but what was happening now was way beyond normal.

As Elphaba reached the top of the stack of metal she looked up to see how far away she really was from the hole. The hole was a good four feet above her head. She would have to jump and grab on to the sides with all her strength. If she made one mistake she would come crashing down into shards of metal or worse, fall twenty feet to be met by concrete. She couldn't allow herself to fail.

She took a breath to steady herself and bent her knees in an effort to jump higher.

"I'm coming my sweet." Elphaba whispered into the air before using all of her leg strength to jump straight up.


	22. Chapter 21

**A/N: Just wanted to say a quick thanks to you guise for actually reading my crazy ideas. That said...please don't kill me for this chapter. :-)**

**Chapter 21**

Another week passed and Elphaba had still not woken up. As the days withered away, the more desperate Glinda became. The first week Glinda had been hopeful but the second was a lot more difficult. The two week mark was around the time the doctors could figure out if she would be in a coma for the rest of her life or not. Usually if coma patients hadn't woken up by that point then there was little or no hope that they ever would.

Tahj continued to make regular visits to check on Glinda who only left Elphaba's room to shower and change clothes. He became doubtful that the woman Glinda loved so much would ever wake up. It had been two weeks today since the accident had occurred.

Everything around the palace seemed to stop the moment that Elphaba had been injured. Glinda had taken two weeks off and no longer required most of her staff. The once bustling palace was now barren. The guards were the only ones left besides Ella's nanny and the chef. Even the guards had decreased in number since Glinda only ever stayed in the same room that was encased by four walls and no windows.

Time seemed to pass slowly for the blonde who counted down the minutes until her beloved Elphie would wake up. Glinda had started refusing to eat a couple of days ago. Tahj was the only person that was able to get the blonde to at least eat something. And even when he did it was something small like pudding or a piece of bread. Glinda's appetite had gone away as well as her hope that Elphie might wake up.

Ella watched as her mother refused to eat everyday. It pained the little girl to see her mother deny something that she needed. She tried to comfort her mother in any way she could but the blonde only refused. Glinda didn't want to be coddled and comforted anymore. She needed Elphie to wake up.

Tahj walked down the hall carrying a tray of soup. He hoped that Glinda would at least try a little bit of the soup that he was bringing her. Glinda needed to keep up her energy if she was going to take care of Ella.

Tahj took a deep breath before entering the doorway to Elphaba's room. Glinda looked up towards the door when she heard someone coming in.

"It's just me." Tahj smiled and shut the door allowing the two some privacy.

"I'm not hungry." Glinda said monotone and then looked back towards Elphaba's bed.

"I didn't ask if you were. But you need to eat." Tahj dipped the spoon into the soup and forced it in Glinda's direction.

Glinda turned her head away from the offered food. The smell of food made her nauseous. Why should she be able to enjoy food when Elphaba could not?

"Really Glinda you need to eat." Tahj tried again to offer the soup to her. "What about Ella?" he tried to play the guilt card. Surely if Glinda knew how much her behavior was affecting her daughter she would eat.

"I don't care." Glinda replied. It pained her to admit it but she really didn't care. She couldn't care about anything right now. She felt numb to everyone. So much so that she asked Ella's nanny to take her daughter two days ago and hadn't seen her since. She didn't want to say something to her little girl that she might regret later on. It was safer this way.

"I know you do care, so eat." Tahj shoved the spoon into Glinda's mouth. Glinda choked as the unwelcome object entered her mouth. "Good. Now swallow." Tahj instructed as he removed the spoon. As soon as the spoon was out of Glinda's mouth she spit out the contents of the soup onto the floor.

"I said I'm not hungry." She yelled as Tahj as she brought her hand up to wipe at her mouth.

"Why are you doing this Glinda?" Tahj asked the blonde. He couldn't understand why she just wouldn't eat.

"Why do you care?" she said harshly.

"You can't answer my question with another question. Now I asked you first." Tahj began to get annoyed with Glinda.

"I can't take it anymore!" Glinda flung her arm over to where the soup lay and picked the bowl up throwing it across the room. The bowl hit the far wall and shattered, the soup flying everywhere. Glinda's breathing became heavier as fury rose within her.

"Woah calm down Glinda." Tahj moved the tray father back from the blonde's reach so she couldn't throw anything else.

"You know what? I am getting sick and tired of people telling me to calm down lately." She shot bullets with her eyes.

Tahj was intimidated by the look he received from Glinda, but not enough to give up. He had to knock some sense into this woman.

"Glinda you need to eat." He stated again.

"Why?" she asked Tahj.

"Because if you don't you will die." Tahj stated. He hated to be so blunt with her but he figured that's what she needed to hear at the moment. He couldn't skirt around the subject of why.

Glinda looked away from Tahj's glance. It was too much for her to handle at the moment. She saw that he really cared for her but she couldn't say she could feel anything at the moment.

"I want to be with her." When Glinda finally spoke she spoke lightly.

"And how is starving yourself going to help you?" Tahj stated.

"We can be together." Glinda looked towards Elphaba and reached for her hand. "Always together." A tear fell from the blonde's cheek.

"Glinda what the hell are you talking about?" Tahj needed to be harsh with her to get his point across. "She isn't dead! You are with her now!"

"She will be soon." Glinda had lost all hope. She had realized a few days ago that if Elphaba were going to return to her then she would have done it by now.

"You can't say that. She still has a chance. She is still breathing and very much alive." Tahj motioned over to where Elphaba lay in bed.

"Not for long." There was almost a bittersweet tone to Glinda's voice that frightened Tahj.

"Why do you say that?" curiosity filled his voice.

"It's been two weeks. She isn't waking up. She wouldn't want to live like this." Glinda began to cry.

"What are you trying to say Glinda?" Tahj went over to where his friend was and wrapped an arm around her shoulders cautiously.

"The doctors want to take her breathing machine away." Glinda gripped Elphaba's hand. "She isn't coming back."

"You can't let them do that!" Tahj was enraged. "She just needs more time!"

"She has had all the time she needs." Glinda repeated what the doctors had basically told her earlier.

"You don't believe that Glinda! I know you don't!" Tahj tried to reason with the blonde but she seemed dead set on her decision.

"She would want to be in peace. I can't let her live like this." Glinda rehearsed another line Tahj was sure the doctors had told her.

"Glinda snap out of it! You love her. She will wake up." He tried to convince Glinda.

"I do love her and she loves me. Letting her go was the hardest thing I have ever had to do." Glinda's mind flashed back to years ago when Elphaba had 'died' for the first time.

"But you haven't let her go yet. There is still a chance." Tahj was a little confused by what Glinda was saying. She was speaking complete nonsense to him now. It was surely brought on by lack of sleep and food.

"Leave me alone." Glinda curled up into her chair.

"I am doing no such thing. Not until I convince you that doing this would be the biggest mistake of your life." Tahj was dead set on convincing the blonde she was about to make the hugest mistake of her life.

"I already made that mistake." Glinda stated adding to the confusion Tahj felt.

Somewhere in between her dealings with the current situation and recounting what had happened years ago her wires had been crossed. Glinda was blaming herself for the death of Elphaba once again even though the green woman was alive and right in front of her.

"Glinda what in Oz are you talking about?" Tahj desperately tried to figure out what was going on inside the blonde girl's head.

"I let her go. She asked me to go with her but I didn't." Glinda rocked back in forth in her chair not realizing what she was saying. Time didn't exist for the blonde at that moment. She was back to the first time that Elphaba had left her.

"You didn't do anything Glinda. This was all an accident." Tahj began to get worried for Glinda's mental state. He was already worried about her health enough, but she was talking total gibberish. She couldn't be in the right mindset.

"I let her go." Glinda laid her head down on her knees and began to cry.

"You haven't yet but unless you snap out of it you will." Tahj was seriously considering going to get the doctor to look at her head. Maybe the lack of food was getting to the blonde in more ways than one.

"She was killed because of me." Glinda shook as heart-wrenching sobs filled the air.

"Was? She hasn't been killed Glinda. She is still alive!" Tahj was beyond confused. Glinda was talking as if the woman on the emergency room bed had already died.

"She wasn't wicked." Glinda continued to cry. Tahj got up from the chair he was sitting in.

"Glinda I'm going to get the doctor. You are in no condition to make judgments for this woman's life right now." Tahj went towards the door to get the doctor. "I will be right back."

Tahj exited the room and walked towards the nurse's station. He was worried to death about Glinda's well being. She was talking complete nonsense and he was worried she might hurt herself.

"Doctor Hulzberg." He asked the nurse at the station where he was. She pointed in the direction of the Doctor's office and he went over and knocked on the door. Once he heard someone say come in from inside he entered.

"Ah Master Guff what can I do for you?" Doctor Hulzberg smiled as Tahj took a seat across from him.

"I'm worried about Glinda. She is ill I believe. She is refusing to eat and is talking nonsense. Just now I went to try and talk to her and she was delusional. She thinks that Iris is already dead. She wouldn't believe me when I told her that Iris was very much alive. She is blaming herself for the death of that poor woman. I think that something is seriously wrong with her." Tahj felt guilty that he had called Glinda mentally ill, but he knew that something wasn't right with her.

"Ah, I see." The doctor replied. "Do you think she is capable of hurting herself or others?"

"Yes I know so for a fact. She is willing to take Iris off of life support. Glinda would never do that in her right state of mind. She is willing to intentionally kill that poor woman. If Iris dies then Glinda will die right along with her. She is already trying to starve herself to death." Tahj stated matter of factly.

"Ah, I see." The doctor responded again. Tahj grew frustrated. He hadn't betrayed Glinda's trust in him just to be told 'Ah, I see.'

"Well is there anything you can do?" Tahj asked the doctor. The doctor regarded the man in front of him before speaking.

"We need to separate her from whatever is causing her such distress, in this case Iris. Hopefully once she is removed from that environment she can function again. If not then we will have to give her some medicine to calm her down. We might need to feed her through a tube if she doesn't start eating soon." The doctor finally gave his assessment of the situation.

Tahj agreed that this was the best course of action. He hated separating Glinda from Iris but he knew that it was for her own good. He would stay by Iris's side to make sure everything was okay.

"Sounds good but there is one other thing I wish to discuss." Tahj needed to say one more thing.

"Go ahead, I'm listening." The doctor was intrigued at what else this man had to say.

"Glinda told me that you are planning to take Iris off of life support. I do not think this is the best option for her. Glinda was not in the right mental state when she agreed to that. You aren't seriously going to take the advice of someone in her condition are you?" Tahj waited for the doctor to answer.

"We will forgo taking her off of life support until Miss Glinda is well. Does that answer your question?" The doctor smiled towards Tahj.

The guard gave a great big sigh of relief at hearing this news. "Yes, thank you." He thanked the doctor and then got up from his current position. "I am going back to Miss Glinda's room. When you are ready come and get her."

"I will." The doctor assured Tahj that he would get everything in order before coming to get Glinda.

Tahj walked down the hall back towards Glinda's room feeling slightly accomplished. He had extended Iris's life at least until Glinda got better or she woke up. He prayed that it was the latter of the two. As he walked back into the room he noticed Glinda still in the same position he had left her in.

"Hi Glinda." He said trying to gauge her mood this time.

"Hi." Glinda replied back. She was not so far gone that she would forget her manors.

"The doctor is going to be here in a bit." He was going to try and explain the situation to the blonde so that it would be less difficult.

"For Elphie?" Glinda slipped and said Elphaba's nickname. She suddenly flushed and her breathing turned heavier.

Tahj thought Glinda was so far gone that she had begun to make up random names. "No, for you." He looked towards Glinda who was experiencing a small panic attack. "Don't be afraid, the doctor is going to take good care of you."

"I can't go." Glinda recovered from her small panic attack.

"Glinda you need help. I can offer you support and friendship but that is about all." Tahj saw the confusion in Glinda's face.

"What do you mean?" she was confused as to why the doctor would be coming for her.

"The stress of this is getting to you. You need to take a step back from the situation." Tahj tried to reassure Glinda that everything would be okay.

"They're going to take me away? Where will I go? What are they going to do to me? Who will stay with Iris? Where is Ella?" She asked a thousand questions in what seemed like two seconds.

Glinda gripped onto Elphaba's hand as fear took over. They were going to take her away from Elphie.

"Don't be afraid Glinda. We are all looking out for you and won't let anything bad happen to you or Iris." Tahj looked into eyes of fear. It broke his heart to have to do this to Glinda.

"I don't want to leave her! I will eat, I promise!" Glinda tried to apologize for behaving so irrationally before. She didn't want to go.

"That's not it Glinda. You need help. Help that I can't give you." Tahj looked into Glinda's eyes for understanding.

"You can't make me go! I won't go! This is my palace! You work for me! I make the rules!" She yelled and sprung up from her chair.

"Glinda calm down. It doesn't have to be like this." Tahj stood as well.

"I'm not crazy!" she yelled.

As soon as her last words had left her mouth she looked up to see two men dressed in white standing at the door. She recognized the uniforms right away. They were here to escort Glinda away from Elphaba. Glinda flung herself down by Elphaba exhorting all of her energy.

"Wake up Elphie! WAKE UP!" she screamed and began violently shaking the girl in the bed.

The two men who were here to escort her quickly moved forward and captured Glinda's arms. Glinda flailed to get away from them.

"I know you're in there! WAKE UP!" she screamed down at Elphaba and continued to thrash around.

The two men gained the upper hand and tied Glinda's hands behind her back. Glinda resorting to kicking at the two men as they dragged her farther from Elphaba.

"ELPHIE! ELPHIE!" she yelled to the motionless girl. The guards had all thought Glinda had truly lost her mind. Who the hell was Elphie and why was Glinda calling for her?

Tahj watched as the two men dragged Glinda from the room kicking and screaming. One was on each side of her trying to keep her from getting away. Her screams got softer and softer the farther away she got from the room. Tahj listened until they died down completely. He was sure she hadn't stop, she had just gotten far enough away that her screams didn't reach.

He went over and took a seat next to the woman he knew as Iris. Putting his head between his two hands he began to lightly cry. If any of the other guards saw him cry he would be made fun of for sure, but he couldn't help it. It broke his heart for Glinda to be so distraught over this woman lying in a coma. He continued to cry until a soft voice filled the air.

"Glinda?"


	23. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

"Glinda?" a soft voice echoed in the room.

Tahj looked up to figure out where the voice was coming from. It didn't take long for his eyes to focus on the woman lying in the hospital bed.

"Glinda?" Elphaba repeated again. She blinked a couple of times trying to make out any figures around her. Her vision was blurred.

"She isn't here Iris." Tahj brought an arm up to take the woman's hand in his own.

"Where is she?" Elphaba was confused. Why wouldn't Glinda be here? She finally saw where the voice was coming from and focused her attention on a man dressed in a guard's uniform that was holding her hand in his own. Her eye's widened in realization. "Don't hurt me!" The green woman yelled before shrinking into her covers.

Tahj was a little taken back at this action. Why would this woman think that he would hurt her? If anything she should see the guard uniform and feel comforted.

"I'm not here to hurt you." Tahj tried to convince the girl in front of him. He was now able to get a good look at the girl Glinda was in love with. She saw her eyes for the first time and the depth that they held. He could understand how Glinda could fall for someone with such exotic eyes.

"Wh…where's Glinda?" Elphaba stuttered and tried to regain her composure. She was not convinced at all that the guard was not here to hurt her. Elphaba wasn't exactly sure where she was or how she had gotten here.

"She is with some doctors right now. They need to run some quick tests on her before she can come back to you." Tahj knew that this information would only lead to more questioning.

For a minute Elphaba forgot she was frightened for herself and only felt worried for the blonde.

"What's wrong with her? Is she hurt?" Elphaba tried to get out of bed but was stopped by Tahj.

"You have been through a lot Miss Iris. You need to lie down. She is going to be okay." Tahj grabbed onto Elphaba's good shoulder to keep the girl from moving.

Elphaba seemed unconvinced. Surely Glinda would be here for her if she were in fact okay.

"I need to see her." Elphaba stated with authority.

Tahj was a little taken a back at how Iris had spoken to him. He knew that the woman could not see Glinda right now. Glinda was too lost and confused.

"You can't do that. You need to stay here. Let me go get the doctor." Tahj needed to let the doctor know that she was awake.

As soon as Tahj left the room Elphaba's survival instincts took over. She needed to get out of here and try and find Glinda.

She jumped out of bed and felt a sharp pain in her chest and suddenly looked down. On her chest were two bandages. She peeled the first one up to reveal stitches and dried blood. The second bandage was a little more towards her arm. She found the same thing in that one as she had found in the first.

"What the hell happened to me?" Elphaba asked aloud before replacing the bandages. She couldn't waist too much time. The guard was going to come back and she needed to get to Glinda.

Elphaba looked both ways out of the door and when she saw the coast was clear she walked in one direction ducking behind furniture every now and then. The castle seemed to be oddly vacant, if she was still in the castle at all.

She shook the thought from her mind and quickly continued her task at hand. Before she knew it she had come to a door. She peeked inside and the sight before her eyes pained her so.

Glinda lie on the floor curled up into a fetal position. There were two doctors around her trying to inject some sort of tube in the blonde's arm. That was not the worst part. The worst part was when Elphaba looked into Glinda's glassed over eyes. The blonde seemed catatonic to her.

"What are they doing to you my sweet?" Elphaba whispered and brought a hand up to the glass.

She had to get to Glinda but didn't know the best way to do so. She could either go in right now and have to fight off two doctors, or she could wait for them to leave. But who knows how much damage would have been done to the blonde by then.

Elphaba figured she would rather risk injuring herself then see Glinda injured anymore. She needed to get Glinda away from the doctors. Once she managed this then she would think of what to do next.

Elphaba took a deep breath before pushing in the door to the room Glinda was in.

**XXX**

Tahj returned to Elphaba's room with the doctor. He had opened the door to find the once occupied bed was vacant.

"Damn it." He cursed as he went inside the room.

"Where is she?" The doctor was amazed the Elphaba had really woken up. At first he didn't believe Tahj but seeing the room empty now confirmed that the woman had in fact woken up.

"I don't kn...Glinda." Tahj interrupted his own train of thought. There was only one place Iris would go right now and that would be to find Glinda. They needed to get to her before they had to explain why Glinda was in the condition she was.

"We have to get to Glinda's room." Tahj told the doctor and walked out of the door. The doctor quickly followed him.

**XXX**

Glinda lay still on the floor of some hospital room. The doctors were all around her trying to get her to eat. When she refused they pulled out a syringe and were going to inject some sugared water into her system.

Glinda hadn't the energy to move. She didn't have the energy to care anymore either. No one would believe her anyways.

She lay on the ground completely quiet and daydreaming. She was dreaming back to a time her and Elphie had been together at Shiz. It was the best memory she had of the two of them before everything with the wizard happened. She quickly closed her eyes to let the memory take over her senses.

"_Galinda why do you insist on wearing that dress" Elphaba sat on her bed reading over some notes for an exam she had the next week._

_Galinda stood a couple feet away from Elphaba's bed examining herself in the mirror._

"_Why? Do you not like it?" Galinda asked her friend and continued to twirl around looking at the dress from every angle._

"_It's not that." Elphaba blushed slightly. "It's just very uh…short."_

_Galinda giggled at Elphaba's comment. Well of course the dress was short. It was meant to be that way to attract boys._

"_Duh silly face. It's supposed to be short." Galinda bounced over to where Elphaba was reading and sat down on the edge of the bed._

_Elphaba looked up at the sudden weight on her bed and towards Galinda. Her eyes then gazed a little farther south as she saw the skirt hike up even more when Galinda sat. Elphaba thought that Galinda looked absolutely gorgeous in this dress, but she didn't want anyone else seeing her in it._

"_Don't you think it's almost too short?" the green woman stressed the word too in that statement._

_Galinda just giggled and began bouncing slightly on Elphaba's bed. "Of course it's not too short. Dresses can never be too short." Galinda giggled. Didn't Elphie know anything about attracting people of the opposite sex?_

"_What if you get cold? That dress will not keep you warm." Elphaba tried to come up with a scientifical explanation for why Galinda should change._

"_Elphie sweetheart it's almost summer. I don't think I'll be getting cold." Galinda scooted herself a little closer to the green woman and reached her hand forward to take Elphie's books from her hands._

_Elphaba swooned the second Galinda called her sweetheart. She hadn't even noticed when Galinda scooted closer and removed the books she had once been holding._

"_Who are you going out with?" Elphaba tried to avoid gazing down at Galinda's dress. She was unsuccessful and Galinda noticed._

_Galinda bubbled when she saw Elphaba take a liking to her dress. For some reason whenever the green woman looked at her she felt a flutter in her stomach that she couldn't identify. And Elphie was definitely looking at her the way she was dressed tonight._

"_I thought I might go out with some of my girlfriends. We are going to a new local club to see if there are any cute boys." Galinda consciously leaned forwards a little more towards Elphaba revealing her cleavage to the woman even more._

_Elphaba gasped as she saw Galinda lean over and almost bust out of her top. Her breathing became heavy and her already dark eyes darkened even more. She subconsciously licked her lips and continued to stare at Galinda._

_Galinda delighted in the affect she seemed to be having on her roommate but was unaware why._

"_Elphie?" Galinda tried to get the green woman's attention by snapping her fingers in front of her eyes._

_Elphaba snapped out of her daydream and focused once again on Galinda's face._

_Galinda saw that Elphie's face had become all flushed. "Oh Elphie. What am I going to do with you?" she teased her roommate before getting up and going over to the door._

_Elphaba was disappointed when Galinda got up from her bed. She hadn't finished enjoying getting to see Galinda in that dress. Now she would have to share her with everyone. This didn't please the girl at all._

_Galinda watched as Elphaba's face changed to sadness. Had she done something wrong?_

"_Elphie?" Galinda walked back over to where Elphaba was still sitting on her bed. "What's wrong?"_

_Elphaba really wanted to say nothing was wrong but she wouldn't allow herself to do that. Gaining all her courage she could she spoke in almost a pleading tone._

"_I really don't think you should wear that out." Elphaba motioned to Galinda's dress "People might get the wrong idea."_

_Galinda was surprised by what Elphaba had said. So apparently the green woman wasn't oblivious to everything._

"_That's the point Elphie." She stated and was a little annoyed._

"_Please change. For me?" Elphaba pleaded with the blonde in front of her._

_Never had Elphaba asked for anything for herself and so Galinda felt bad to deny such a request._

"_Okay Elphie, for you." Galinda smiled and then went back into the bathroom to change into a more conservative dress._

_When she finally came out into the room she noticed Elphaba was asleep with her books back in her hand. She smiled at the green woman's position._

_Elphaba's sleeping state now allowed Galinda another option. She could change back into that dress and Elphie would never know, or she could wear what she had on._

_She glanced over towards Elphaba and smiled before walking out of their door. How could she deny Elphie this one small request?_

Glinda's flashback came to an end and her eyes fluttered open. She caught sight of the door opening with such force that it caused her to jump.

**XXX**

Brown eyes scanned the room assessing the situation.

The doctor's looked up when they heard the door open and they dropped their equipment. Elphaba had startled them to death.

"What is the meaning of this?" One of the doctors finally gained his voice and yelled over to Elphaba.

Elphaba just ignored the comment and strode over to where Glinda was lying on the floor. She knelt down and brought a hand up to stroke the blonde's cheek.

Glinda thought this had to be a dream. Some drug that the doctors had given her was causing her to see things. It wasn't until Elphaba reached out to touch her that she realized this wasn't a dream. Elphaba was very much in front of her.

"Glinda." Elphaba whispered and stroked the blonde's cheek waiting for a response. Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks if she hadn't received a response in the next five seconds.

"Elphie?" Glinda whispered so that the doctors couldn't hear. "Is that really you." Glinda tried to sit up but was weak from not eating.

Elphaba wrapped her arm around Glinda to steady her. "It's me baby. It's really me." Elphaba whispered and hugged the blonde in front of his with as much force as he dared.

Glinda felt herself being hugged and allowed it to happen. She began crying into Elphaba's shoulder. She had come so close to losing her love and herself.

"Shh it's okay." Elphaba rocked the blonde back and forth trying to calm her down. Elphaba was kind of surprised that the doctors were not doing anything to try and capture her. She didn't know that they all already knew about her and Glinda.

"I missed you so much." Glinda cried harder into Elphaba. She still couldn't believe Elphaba had woken up. "This isn't a dream is it?" she asked out loud to make sure that it wasn't.

"This isn't a dream." Elphaba rubbed circles on the girl's back. How long had she been gone? Glinda was acting as if she hadn't seen her for months.

Glinda pulled back and looked into Elphaba's eyes. She needed to see that those eyes were the same ones that had left her two weeks ago.

"I love your eyes." Glinda smiled and brought one of her hands up to stroke Elphaba's cheek.

"I love yours too." Elphaba leaned forward and captured Glinda's lips in a passionate kiss.

Glinda melted into the familiar sensation. She knew that there were two other people around but she didn't care. All she cared about was kissing this woman she thought she might never kiss again.

Elphaba deepened the kiss as she felt Glinda's desire building. All the other people in the room didn't matter to the green woman. Glinda was the only thing that mattered at that moment.

The doctors watched in astonishment as the two women shared such an intimate moment publicly. They felt bad for witnessing such passion that they averted their eyes allowing the two women some privacy.

Elphaba brought her hand up to stoke behind Glinda's hair. For some reason she felt like it had been forever since she had kissed the blonde. She needed to experience all of her. Knowing that she couldn't do this with all of the doctor's watching she painfully pulled away.

Glinda looked at Elphaba questioningly as she pulled back. It didn't take her long to see the lust and desire in Elphaba's eyes. If she hadn't pulled back when she did she would have taken Glinda right then and there in front of everyone.

"I love you." Glinda looked lovingly into Elphaba's eyes.

Elphaba smiled and looked back towards Glinda. "And I love you too." She moved in for a light kiss. Before she could reach her destination, she was interrupted by someone clearing their throat at the door.

She looked up and saw the man who had been there when she woke up accompanied by what looked like another doctor.

"I hate to interrupt this reunion but we need to check you over Miss Iris." The doctor's face was beet red.

Elphaba looked back towards Glinda with panicked eyes. She wasn't sure what was going on.

"Trust them my love." Glinda brought Elphaba's hand up to her lips and kissed the back of it.

No matter what fear Elphaba had, it all disappeared the moment Glinda kissed her hand. How could she not trust her?

Elphaba was led away from Glinda and down the hall. Once out of her line of vision Glinda turned around and faced the two doctors who had witnessed everything transpire.

"So I'm healthy as you can see." Glinda was annoyed. She got up from the ground and brushed herself off with her hands. "I hope that next time before you accuse someone of being crazy you take into account that they might just have a broken heart."

Glinda stormed out of the room and went in the direction where they had taken Elphie. The two doctors were left dumbfounded.


	24. Chapter 23

**A/N: This chapter contains some scientific explanations that I know are not correct. All of the talk of genetics is all made up. So do not quote me. I just needed to make it up to go with the story. And yes this story also deviates into a bad episode of Maury at times so stick it out. With that said…enjoy!**

**Chapter 23**

Glinda followed after Elphie until she had finally caught up with her.

"Wait for me." Glinda yelled a little out of breath as she tried to reach the green woman.

Elphaba turned around and smiled as she saw Glinda running towards her. When Glinda reached her destination she grabbed hold of Elphaba's hand and held it in her own.

"Okay we can continue now." Glinda smiled at the two men who were walking in front of Elphaba. They just shook their head and Glinda could see that Tahj was smiling.

"Glinda are you all right?" Elphaba looked down at Glinda who was still breathing heavily.

"I should be asking you that." Glinda continued to walk hand in hand with her love.

"That's not answering my question." Elphaba glared down at the woman linked with her. Elphaba had to admit she looked different from the last time Elphaba had seen her. She just couldn't place her finger on it.

Glinda sighed. She didn't want to have to tell Elphaba she hadn't eaten in nearly four days.

"Glinda my sweet whatever it is you can tell me." Elphaba continued to follow the doctors. She squeezed Glinda's hand in reassurance.

"I guess I'm a little tired. I haven't eaten that much lately." Glinda waited for the shock to come from Elphaba.

"What?! How long is lately?" Elphaba stopped walked and turned to fully face Glinda. She brought her arms up to around her shoulders and stared into her lover's eyes. She wasn't going to let up until she received a proper answer.

Glinda knew that she couldn't lie to the green woman. If she didn't tell Elphie then Tahj or someone would.

"Almost four." Glinda shuttered as a sudden chill came up her spine.

"FOUR?!" Elphaba yelled a little too loudly causing both of the men to turn around and notice they were no longer being followed.

"Quiet down Elphie." Glinda whispered trying to silence Elphaba.

"You haven't eaten in four days?!" Elphaba could still not grasp this fact. Glinda wasn't aware that the reason Elphaba was panicking wasn't from her not eating. It was from Elphaba realizing she had been gone so long. "How long was I asleep?" the green woman needed to know.

This question took the blonde off guard. She hadn't expected to be asked this.

"Two weeks." Glinda saw that Tahj and the doctor were now heading in their direction. She had hoped that they could talk in the privacy of a hospital room but her plans had been dashed. They had to have this conversation right now.

"Two weeks?!" Elphaba was still beside herself. She couldn't understand what had happened to her.

"Calm down sweetheart. You are back now and that's all that matters." Glinda's voice softened as she tried to get Elphie to calm.

"I…I don't understand." Elphaba let go of Glinda's shoulders and walked over to a nearby bench where she sat down.

Glinda hated seeing her love in so much distress. She too walked over and sat next to Elphaba.

"What happened?" Elphaba turned to look at Glinda. There was a pleading look in her eyes.

"You don't remember?" Glinda asked the green woman. Elphaba shook her head that she didn't so Glinda decided to tell her. "You were shot on accident. There was an intruder trying to enter the palace and when they aimed to shoot him they missed and hit you. They didn't mean to hit you." Tears welled in the blonde's eyes as she talked about how she had nearly lost Elphaba. She would wait and tell Elphie who the intruder was later.

Elphaba saw Glinda tearing up but could not bring herself to wipe away the blonde's tears. Something was holding her back. She needed to be alone right now and process everything.

"Is everything okay here?" The doctor finally reached the two.

Elphaba looked up when a new voice entered the conversation. "Yes." She responded although something didn't feel right.

"Okay good. If you will come with me then I can check you over and explain the situation to you." The doctor held out his had for Elphaba to accept.

Elphaba knew this was necessary and so she accepted his help up and went to follow him. Glinda rose as well as Elphaba and began to follow. Elphaba turned around and looked at Glinda.

"Maybe you should go eat something. I need some time alone." It hurt Elphaba to say those words because she knew they had to be killing Glinda up inside.

Before she would allow herself to see the hurt in the blonde's eyes she turned around and was led away by the doctor.

Tahj stood with the blonde to see how she was doing with all of this.

"Glinda?" he asked the frozen form of the blonde. "Are you okay?"

Tears silently spilled down Glinda's cheeks. She didn't understand why Elphie didn't want her to follow her. Just minutes ago they were kissing passionately in front of everyone. What had changed?

"I should eat." Glinda replied in a monotone as she looked towards the door the doctor and Elphaba had disappeared into.

Tahj nodded in understanding.

"Yes you should. Let's go find some food." The guard smiled and offered out his arm to Glinda.

Glinda accepted and was soon being led downstairs to the kitchen by Tahj. Her heart was left upstairs with Elphaba though.

**XXX**

By the time the doctor had finished checking over Elphaba and explaining what all had happened Elphaba was convinced that she had overreacted. She didn't know why she had been so harsh with the blonde earlier.

"So the baby is okay?" Elphaba asked the doctor as he sipped a cup of tea.

"The baby is perfectly healthy which leads me to wonder." The doctor stopped for a moment while he tried to come up with the correct way to phrase this. "Is the father of your child magical?"

Elphaba was confused. "No he isn't. Why does this matter?"

"Well any normal baby would have been sure to die under your circumstances. Yet this baby lives. The only logical conclusion is that this baby must be magical." The doctor concluded and took another sip of his tea.

"I am magical sir." Elphaba thought that maybe the doctor would dismiss this if he knew that Elphaba was magical. It wasn't a crime to be magical. Nearly a quarter of the population held some sort of magical powers.

"No I don't believe that is it." The doctor stated. "For a child unborn to produce any magic is a great feat. Both parents have to be magical for this to happen."

Elphaba was confused. Fiyero was not magical at all. He wouldn't have hid it from the green woman even if he were. The only other person Elphaba had had sex with before the baby was conceived was...no. It couldn't be. Elphaba had made love to Glinda a few days before all of this started happening. This couldn't be correct. Glinda was a female. Females and females could not produce a child together, only males and females.

The doctor noticed the conversation taking place in Elphaba's mind and went to end it.

"Miss Iris what is the matter?" the doctor tried to get the woman in the chair across from him to talk.

"There is no way this child can be from two magical parents. I know who I have slept with sir and this cannot happen." Elphaba shook her head in confusion.

The woman's comment caused the doctor to blush a dark shade of red. He didn't know much about magic but he knew enough to know that this child had to be magical.

"I hate to disagree Miss Iris but there is no way in all of Oz that this baby would have survived with only one magical parent." The doctor tried to tell the woman across from him that this baby was one hundred percent magical.

"But it just doesn't make sense." Elphaba continued to wrack her brain for some sort of memory. Had she been raped while she was sleeping? Had she been put under some sort of spell? None of this made any sense to her at all. Glinda was the only woman besides Fiyero she had slept with. Ever.

"I can do a DNA test if you would like. It will prove to you that this baby is magical and might also tell you who the father is." The doctor tried to calm the woman in front of him down. Elphaba was starting to hyperventilate some.

"Do that." Elphaba didn't care if this would take longer or would be painful for her. She needed to know who the father of her child was.

"Let me go get my kit." The doctor rose from his seat and disappeared into another room.

Elphaba was left to her thoughts.

**XXX**

"Glinda you haven't touched hardly anything on your plate. You should be happy now. Iris woke up." Tahj nodded to the still full plate in front of Glinda.

"Why didn't she want me to go with her?" Glinda twirled her fork in the food in front of her.

"Maybe she is just having a hard time with all of this. Two weeks is a long time to miss out on life." Tahj tried to convince Glinda that this wasn't her fault.

"You'd think she would want me by her side then if she was having difficulty coping." Glinda looked up into Tahj's eyes.

"Sometimes it is easier to cope with things without having to worry about something else at the same time. I know that when I had to have surgery on my knee last fall that I didn't want anyone knowing. I didn't want to have to control my emotions when I was around them. I just wanted to feel the pain and let it be just that. Pain. I didn't want pain mixed with guilt mixed with love mixed with all of these other confusing emotions." Tahj tried to provide an example to help the blonde.

"I guess you're right." Glinda huffed. "Having to deal with all of that news as well as me can be a handful."

"You're telling me." Tahj joked earning a small smile from Glinda. "Now eat." He pointed to the food still left on Glinda's plate.

Glinda reluctantly put the fork in a piece of chicken and brought it up to her lips before swallowing. Once the food had entered Glinda's mouth she realized how hungry she actually was. It didn't take any more prodding from the guard for her to finish the entire contents of the plate in front of her.

"Someone must have been hungry." Tahj laughed as Glinda finished the last of her potatoes.

Glinda smiled sheepishly and shrugged her shoulders. She then looked over towards Tahj's plate, which was still half full.

"You going to eat that?" she motioned to his roll. Tahj followed where Glinda's finger pointed to and picked up his roll.

"It's all yours. As well as anything else on this plate." He handed the roll over and pushed his plate a little closer to Glinda. He had just eaten a couple of hours ago. He knew that Glinda should eat all of the food that she could.

"Thanks." Glinda accepted the roll and the two continued to eat in comfortable silence.

**XXX**

Back in the doctor's office Elphaba patiently waited for the results of her test. She didn't know what she would do once she had them. She had nothing of Fiyero's to compare the DNA to. The doctors had Glinda's DNA on hand and so they could compare it to her, but if it turned out not to be Glinda's Elphaba was going to be really worried. Although logic told her that it couldn't be Glinda's because Glinda was a female, she desperately hoped that it was.

"Well that's odd." The doctor walked into the room flipping through some charts.

"What's odd?" Elphaba questioned the doctor.

"Your test results. The DNA is unlike any I have ever seen." The doctor continued looking over the charts.

Elphaba's eyes widened in panic. Was this baby growing inside of her even human?

"What do you mean by that?" Elphaba asked the doctor.

The doctor stopped looking at the charts and looked back towards Elphaba. "The DNA has no Y chromosome in it."

Elphaba who was very smart with science knew all about chromosomes. She knew that girls had XX and boys had XY. "So then the baby is a girl?" Elphaba questioned. She wasn't quite sure where the doctor was going with this.

"She has to be with this many X's. It's the number of X's that is the problem." The doctor took to looking at his chart again. "Even female babies have a random Y chromosome somewhere. It is just recessive. This DNA has no trace of a Y chromosome. It is almost as if this child was created without sperm."

Elphaba gulped. Her eyes were widening and she knew that she had the look of a deer in headlights. "But girls and girls can't have babies." She said aloud more for her benefit than the doctors.

"There is no other way to explain this." The doctor pulled out another chart. "I have taken the liberty of comparing the babies DNA to that of Glinda and there is a strong connection between the two." The doctor looked up to gauge the woman's reaction.

"But two women can't have a child together." Elphaba repeated again. None of this was making any scientifical sense.

"Two women can't, but no one knows what two witches can do." The doctor told Elphaba.

Elphaba felt light headed all of a sudden.

"I think I need to lie do…" and before Elphaba could finish her sentence she had fainted onto the floor from her chair.

"Oh Glinda is going to kill me for putting you into a coma again." The doctor went over and picked the girl up from the floor placing her again in the chair before leaving to go find Glinda.

**XXX**

"Miss Glinda?" The doctor came into the kitchen and saw Glinda and Tahj sitting together eating some biscuits.

Glinda looked up at the doctor's voice to see that he was alone. Fear filled her eyes and she jumped up from the table.

"Where's Iris?" she was barely calm enough to say the name Iris instead of Elphie. "Is she okay?"

"She is okay but she has fainted. I thought you would want to know." The doctor tried to tell Glinda but before he could finish Glinda was already out of the door and running towards the doctor's office.

**XXX**

"Glinda?" Elphaba blinked her eyes open and noticed a blonde figure hovering over her. "Glinda what's wrong?" she tried to sit up in her chair but was still feeling a little dizzy.

"Elphie are you okay?" Glinda lifted her hand up to check Elphaba's temperature.

"I'm fine. I just fainted that's all." Elphaba finally managed to sit up straight.

"Are you sure?" Glinda was concerned. Elphaba loved how Glinda cared about her well being so much.

"I am sure." Elphaba smiled at her blonde lover. She needed to apologize for being rude to her earlier. "Hey Glinda look…about earlier…I'm sorry that I brushed you off. I was just so confused and I didn't want to add your confusion into my own." Elphaba tried to apologize to the woman she loved.

"I understand Elphie, I do." Glinda smiled back and assured the green woman that everything was okay. "I just hope that next time you let me know the reasons for your actions before I blame myself."

Elphaba looked down towards the ground. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." There was a regretful tone in Elphaba's voice.

Glinda brought her hand up to Elphaba's chin and lifted the green girl's head until brown eyes were staring into blue.

"Apology accepted." Glinda smiled before leaning in to kiss Elphaba on the lips.

Elphaba felt Glinda kiss her and wanted to deepen it but there was something she needed to discuss first before she lost her nerve. She enjoyed the kiss for a couple more seconds before pulling back.

Glinda audibly pouted at the interruption in their activities. Elphaba only smiled back at the blonde and fell in love with her all over again.

"There is something I need to tell you. It is really important Glinda." Elphaba shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Glinda noticed the serious look on Elphaba's face and became worried. What if the doctor has told her something was seriously wrong with her?

"What is it?" Glinda sat down on Elphaba's lap and wrapped her arms around the green woman's back.

Elphaba loved the feel of Glinda on top of her but could not let her dirty thoughts take over. She needed to be serious for this.

"Fiyero isn't the father of my baby." Elphaba looked into Glinda's eyes that were filled with confusion. "You are."

There. It was out. Elphaba let out a sigh of relief as she waited for a response. The worst part for her was over.

"But…but how?" Glinda couldn't understand. "Two women cannot have a child together."

Elphaba smiled as Glinda echoed the exact conversation she had had with the doctor earlier. "Two women cannot, but two witches apparently can."

Glinda let the words sink in a little while before their true meaning actually hit her. Her eyes opened in surprise. "We're having a baby? The baby is _ours?_" she needed confirmation from the woman whose lap she was sitting on.

Elphaba smiled up at Glinda. "The baby is _ours._ Or more importantly, the little girl growing inside of me is _ours."_ Elphaba watched as Glinda's face went from confusion to excitement. She was at least glad that she was taking this better than she had when the doctor first told her.

"We're going to be mommies together! We are having a girl!" Glinda bounced on Elphaba's lap. Elphaba couldn't help but smile.

"Yes my sweet we are; and not just a mommy and an adopted mommy. We are going to be the real deal." She flashed Glinda one of her most brilliant smiles.

Oh how Glinda loved the woman in front of her. She couldn't take all of this excitement anymore. She was about to burst. She had always wanted to have another child that was truly hers. Now all of this was going to happen and with the woman she loved the most in the world.

Glinda stopped her bouncing and stared lovingly back into the eyes in front of her. Something came over her at that moment that she couldn't deny any longer. She took a deep breath before asking Elphaba the most important question she would ever ask anyone.

"Marry me?"


	25. Chapter 24

**A/N: Sorry it's a little later that usual…I was too busy dancing in the rain last night (no joke). So to make up for it this chapter if full of fluff upon fluff upon fluff. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 24**

"Marry me?" Glinda looked into Elphaba's eyes as the words slipped from her mouth.

Elphaba knew her answer of course but wanted to mess with her girlfriend a little bit.

"You know Miss Glinda, just because one impregnates another does not mean that they have to do the gentlemanly thing and propose." Elphaba teased the blonde sitting on her lap.

Glinda looked utterly shocked at Elphaba's answer. She stuttered as she tried to speak next.

"Tha…that's not wha…what I meant." Glinda shook her head and tried to salvage the situation. She knew her incoherent mumblings were not making any sense to the green woman.

Elphaba smirked as she listened to Glinda try and tell her that's not why she had asked.

"Well what did you mean then?" Elphaba teased, wanting to hear her girlfriend try and propose again.

Glinda knew Elphie was enjoying watching her squirm a little too much. She decided that a little retaliation was in order.

"I guess I momentarily lost my mind. I take it back." She tried to remove herself from her girlfriends lap but was held down by the green woman.

"Mmm…but you lost your mind years ago my sweet." Elphaba smiled and tightened her grip around the blonde's waist. "And you can't take it back. What's said is said." She said in a matter of fact tone.

Glinda stuck her tongue out at the green woman who was holding her in place. She hadn't done something like that in years. It felt good to be childish and playful while Elphie was around.

"Well well Miss Glinda. How unlady like of you." Elphaba acted offended. "I dare say you keep your tongue under control unless you plan on using it." She joked.

Glinda blushed at Elphaba's last comment. "What if I do plan on using it?" she teased.

Elphaba raised her eyebrows as if this was a challenge. "Who says I will let you?" she smirked up at the blonde.

"Who says that I will be using it on you?" Glinda countered.

"Well if not me then who else?" Elphaba was really getting into this role-playing now.

"Mmm…" Glinda brought her hand up to her chin as if pondering this question. "Tahj seems like a pretty decent man."

"Tahj is old enough to be your father." Elphaba pointed out.

"What if I like older men?" Glinda acted offended that Elphaba had implied that she couldn't like Tahj.

"Older men I'm not so sure about." Elphaba agreed that she was clueless to whether Glinda preferred them or not. "Older women however…I know for a fact that you find them very attractive." The green woman smirked.

"Oh really? And how did you gain this information?" Glinda acted shocked.

"Some crazy green woman walked up to me one day and told me." Elphaba wrapped her arms a little tighter around Glinda's waist and inched her forward. Glinda was now straddling Elphaba and looking down upon the woman that she loved.

"Oh you should really watch out for those." Glinda teased. "I hear the green ones are _wicked_." There was a playful tone in the way that Glinda had said the word wicked.

Elphaba couldn't stand the teasing anymore. She felt Glinda on top of her mere inches from her face. She was so close that when the blonde had said the word wicked, Elphaba could feel her warm breath upon her cheeks. Her breathing became heavier as she took in the sight of her girlfriend on top of her.

Glinda noticed that Elphaba had not countered her last response yet. She looked in the green girl's eyes to see where they were and she soon followed the woman's gaze as it landed on her own breasts. Glinda smiled as Elphaba subconsciously licked her lips.

That small action was enough to drive Glinda insane with desire. Glinda had not been able to touch Elphaba in anyway sexual for the past two weeks. All her pent up sexual frustration was bubbling to the surface. She didn't care that Elphaba hadn't responded to her marriage proposal yet. All she cared about was making love to the woman in front of her. Ravaging every inch of the green body until they were both spent.

"Elphie sweetheart." Glinda's tone was much softer this time and there was no playfulness about it.

Against her own will the green woman looked away from her girlfriends chest until she was met with sparking blue eyes. She smiled as she saw the look Glinda had in her eyes. Glinda always had the same look before they would make love. It was the look of passion, understanding, comfort, and love.

"Yes me sweet?" the green woman brought one of her hands from behind Glinda's back and began stroking at the blondes sides.

Glinda shuttered as she felt Elphaba caress at her sides. "Will you please say yes already?" she looked into Elphaba's brown eyes.

Elphaba's smile widened. "Yes." She said quietly and continued her hand movements on the blonde's side. "Yes I will marry you." She stated a little louder this time and stilled her hand movements. "I love you Glinda Upland and I will continue to love you until the day I die...for real." She added in afterthought.

Glinda laughed at Elphaba's addition to her last statement. "And I will love you, Elphaba Thropp, until the day I die…for the first time." She looked at Elphaba through teary eyes.

"Wasn't I supposed to get a ring or something?" Elphaba held up her hand and examined her left hand.

Glinda slapped at Elphaba's hand causing the green woman to laugh. "You hush." She smiled at the girl underneath her.

"Why do I have to…" Elphaba was cut off by a pair of pink lips upon her own.

Glinda figured the only way to shut Elphaba up would be to kiss her and so she did just that. Cutting the green woman off, she leaned forward and captured a surprised Elphaba with her lips. It didn't take long for the green woman to forget all about what she had been saying before.

The two sat in the doctor's chair for quite some time kissing each other passionately. Just when one smoldering kiss would come to an end another would begin. Glinda reveled in their positioning. Even though she was in the dominant position Elphaba soon took over and was the aggressor. Elphaba loved the weight of Glinda on top of her as she moved her tongue inside the blonde's mouth.

Neither of them knew how long they had been kissing when they were once again interrupted by a clearing of the throat.

It took them a little longer this time to regain their bearings before they turned to see where the noise was coming from. In the doorway was the doctor.

Glinda blushed as she suddenly remembered that they were in his office.

"I…uh…could come back." The doctor stumbled over his words and motioned towards the hallway.

"You don't have to do that. We were just leaving." Glinda removed herself from her girlfriends lap and extended her hand out for Elphaba to take.

"Is she good to go?" Glinda turned to the doctor who was still looking a little flushed.

"What? Oh..um…yes. Yes she is good to go." The doctor tried to form a coherent response.

Glinda lightly chucked and dragged Elphie out of the doctor's office.

"Well that was embarrassing." Glinda chuckled once they were far enough down the hall that no one would hear them.

"Yes. Yes it was." Elphaba agreed. "I don't want to cut what was just happening short though." Elphaba suggested.

"Mmm…I like the way you think. I have a surprise for you!" Glinda picked up her speed and half dragged Elphaba to her room.

**XXX**

"She's awake?" Leland asked Tahj wondering if he had heard this correct.

Tahj had gone down to the cellars to tell all of the guards the good news about Iris. When he was about to leave Leland had cornered him.

"Yes she is awake. Isn't it great? Now Glinda can finally be happy." Tahj smiled unaware of Leland's intentions.

"Has she said anything yet about the whole experience?" Leland needed to know what the woman had told Tahj. He needed to know how best to manipulate the situation.

"She didn't remember even getting shot." The head guard offered up. "Now if you will excuse me I have to get back to spreading the good news." Tahj tipped his hat towards Leland and left back up the stairs.

Leland watched as his boss went up the stairs and a smile spread across his face. He could now use Iris's memory loss to his advantage. How could she defend not helping the intruder in if she didn't even remember getting shot? No one would believe her.

Everything was starting to look up for him, and now with Iris back everything would be okay.

**XXX**

"I can't believe you still have that dress." Elphaba shook her head as Glinda modeled for her.

"How could I give it away? You once told me that it was way too scandalous to wear out in public. It held sentimental value." Glinda tried to defend her reasons for keeping the dress.

"I did not use the word scandalous." Elphaba pointed out and walked over to where the blonde was looking at herself in the mirror.

"Oh same difference." Glinda huffed and turned around to meet her lover. "Don't you like this dress?"

"I love that dress." Elphaba wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist. "It makes you look even sexier that you already are." She purred into her love's ear.

"Even sexier than when I have no clothes on at all?" Glinda giggled.

"Well it might not beat that per say. But it definitely beats everything else." Elphaba brought her hand up to remove the small straps of the dress.

Glinda shuttered as Elphaba's slightly cold hands removed the straps off of her shoulders. The green woman traced down Glinda's arms and then back up again.

"Now that I have been pleasantly surprised, mind if I surprise you?" Elphaba leaned in and whispered in the blonde's ear.

"I love surprises." Glinda sighed as she felt Elphaba lightly kiss down her neck. When Elphaba arrived at the base of Glinda's neck she placed a long kiss on her collarbone. Glinda sighed happily as Elphaba sucked on her collarbone. She knew this was bound to leave a mark the way Elphaba kept at it.

Slowly Elphaba led Glinda over to the bed never breaking lip contact. When they finally arrived at their destination Elphaba picked Glinda up in her arms, which earned a delighted squeal from the blonde.

"I missed you so much." Glinda looked into Elphaba's eyes.

"I never went anywhere." Elphaba smiled back and placed Glinda softly on the bed before climbing in next to her. She giggled as Elphaba began moving her hand up her thigh getting close to the hem of her really short dress.

"Time for your surprise my precious." Elphaba murmured in Glinda's neck before reaching down to remove the rest of her dress.

"Mmm…I do love surprises." Glinda restated as she allowed Elphaba to remove the dress from her.

Once Elphaba had Glinda undressed she decided that she herself was wearing way too much clothing. In a very Galinda like move she got up from the bed and headed over to where there was a victrola sitting on Glinda's dresser. She pressed play and some slow music played in the background. She walked painstakingly slow back towards the blonde who was watching this all with curiosity.

Elphaba couldn't believe that what she was about to do came to her on her own and was not the idea of some perky blonde. To the beat of the music she slowly began to remove her articles of clothing.

Glinda sat transfixed as she watched her love put on a little show for her. She was already turned on from before, but this action seemed to amplify her desire. The old Elphaba would have never done anything like this. That thought alone caused Glinda's heart to fill with love. Elphaba was doing this solely for the blonde's enjoyment.

As Elphaba got closer to the bed, the more articles of clothing were stripped away. Every so often when the beat changed Elphaba would add a little dance move in.

Glinda giggled as Elphaba almost tripped over herself while trying to dance seductively and remove her undershirt. It was stuck on the green girl's head, which blinded her from seeing where she was stepping.

Once the shirt was finally removed Elphaba blushed at her mishap. Glinda found this endearing. When the green woman finally made it over to the bed she was wearing nothing but her underwear.

Glinda smiled at the approaching figure and held out her hands to pull Elphaba down on top of her.

"Did you like your surprise?" Elphaba expressed amusement when Glinda pulled the woman forward onto the bed.

"I loved my surprise." Glinda smiled before leaning in to kiss Elphaba softly.

The two women spent the next few hours reconnecting with each other. Elphaba's bullet wounds caused her no problems and if they did she wouldn't have let it stop her. Their love making this time was slower than usual. Glinda savored every bit of Elphaba that she had missed while she had been in a coma. Elphaba allowed Glinda the freedom to set the pace and explore her thoroughly.

As the two women climaxed it was more from a spiritual and emotional place than just lust and desire. Glinda had needed to infuse herself with feeling Elphaba inside of her. She needed to make up for lost time. The green woman went extremely slow this time reassuring Glinda that she wasn't going anywhere. The two made love as if they were both still innocent and had never done such a thing. They took their time and eventually lay in each others arms exhausted.

It was Elphaba who spoke up first.

"That was…that was…" Elphaba tried to find the right words to describe the emotions that she felt.

"Amazing, Oz shattering, mind blowing, fantabulous, wonderful, stimulating, loving." The blonde offered up a few words to describe the same feeling that she felt.

"All of those and more." Elphaba leant down and placed a kiss on top of Glinda's head.

"I love you Elphaba Thropp." Glinda sighed happily as Elphaba brushed her fingers though gold ringlets.

"And I love you Glinda Upland." Elphaba ran her fingers through the blonde's hair.

They continued to lie like that for a while until Glinda noticed that Elphaba's hands had stopped stroking through her hair. She lifted her head off of her now fiancée's chest and looked into her eyes to see what the hold up was.

She was met with Elphaba sleeping peacefully with her mouth hanging wide open. Glinda smiled and snuggled in closer to Elphie. She surprisingly wasn't tired but she didn't want to get up. Not yet at least. She wanted to stay wrapped up in the green woman's embrace forever. And now that they were engaged to be married she would be able to do just that.


	26. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Glinda and Elphaba were sitting on the couch that occupied the space between their bed and bathroom. Glinda was encased in Elphaba's strong arms while the raven-haired beauty ran her fingers through gold ringlets. Neither of the two was talking, they were just enjoying each other's company. It had been a couple of hours since the two had made love and neither one of them wanted to leave the security of their room just yet. It wasn't until a knock sounded at the door that all thoughts of the real world returned to them.

Glinda eventually removed herself from Elphaba's embrace and went over to see who it was. As soon as the door opened a two-foot, seven-inch blur rushed past the blonde before she had time to react.

"ELPHIE!" Ella raced towards the green woman and wrapped her little arms around one of Elphaba's legs.

Elphaba smiled at the child's happiness at seeing her awake. "Hey there Ella." Elphie responded and bent down to wrap the tiny girl in her arms.

"I missed you while you were sleeping!" The little girl looked up to meet the green woman's eyes while her mother closed the door.

"I missed you too." Elphaba smiled at Ella.

"Well hello to you too." Glinda chuckled as she took a seat back on her couch. "You don't see your mother in nearly three days and this is how you act?"

Ella looked sheepishly away from Elphaba and towards her mother. "Sorry mommy." Ella giggled and let go of Elphaba to go towards her mother.

Glinda gathered the little girl up in her arms and held her tight. "I'm sorry mommy was being a beast earlier." Glinda apologized to Ella.

Ella laughed as her mother used the term beast. "Don't do it again." She hugged her mother tighter.

Glinda was amazed at how well Ella seemed to understand everything so perfectly at her age. She was grateful that her daughter had not inherited Fiyero's smarts.

"I won't leave you ever again." Glinda let go of her daughter and turned towards Elphie.

Glinda had told Elphaba earlier that Ella knew of their relationship now. She might not understand it completely but she knew about it. Glinda still had one tough challenge to face though. She still had to tell Ella that they were now engaged and that Elphaba was expecting a child. Ella was going to have a baby sister.

Glinda reached over and grabbed Elphaba's hand in support. The green woman knew what Glinda was about to say and she gave the blonde's hand a tiny squeeze in reassurance.

Taking a deep breath Glinda found the words she needed to say to her daughter. "Ella sweetheart mommy has some exciting news."

Ella perked up and jumped up and down slightly. Elphaba let out a little laugh at how much Ella was like Glinda back when she was Galinda.

"Mommy and Elphie are going to get married." Glinda looked over at Elphaba and gave her a slight smile. "She is going to be my wife."

"What's married?" Ella was confused. She didn't know what marriage was.

Glinda was a little surprised at her daughter's reaction. She had thought that Ella had known what marriage was. She had been married before but Ella might have been too young to remember.

"Remember when I was married to that man before?" Glinda asked her daughter if she remembered. Elphaba's smile suddenly turned into a frown as she heard Glinda talk about her past marriage. Glinda was too focused on Ella to notice this happening.

"No." Ella stated. She had been too young to ever remember her mother having been in another relationship.

"Well marriage is when you promise to spend the rest of your life with someone. You both make an agreement to be with only the other person and no one else." Glinda tried to explain to her daughter.

"Then why are you getting married again?" Ella asked.

"What do you mean sweetheart?" Glinda asked her daughter unaware of the pale tone Elphaba's skin had now taken on.

"You said marriage is when you spend forever together. Why are you getting married if you were already married?" Ella asked her mother. She was smart enough to figure all of this out on her own. Why would her mother need to get married again?

"Some marriages don't last forever sweetheart. And I am no longer married to that man." Glinda tried to explain this to her daughter.

The whole time this conversation was going on Elphaba felt herself blanche and become nauseated at the thought of Glinda with another man. She wasn't sure if this nausea was attributed to Glinda's ex-husband or if it was morning sickness. The mere thought of Glinda having been married before irked the green girl in more ways than one. She knew that Glinda had been married before and divorced but hearing her actually talk about it was…? She couldn't find the exact word for it. It was almost sickening.

"How do you know that you and Elphie will last?" Ella hadn't meant to be so blunt with her question. She didn't understand that her question would cause so much distress.

Elphaba couldn't handle it anymore. She let go of Glinda's hand and in one quick motion flew to the bathroom.

Before Glinda had a chance to turn around to see where her lover had went she heard vomiting noises come from the bathroom. She figured it was nothing more than morning sickness and so she thought it best to leave her alone for now. She needed to get things all figured out with Ella first.

"Is she okay?" Ella asked her mother. There was concern in her eyes. She didn't want Elphie getting sick again and falling asleep.

"She is fine." Glinda waited until she saw the calm on her daughters face before continuing on with her explanation of marriage. "I know that me and Elphie will last because mommy loves her with her heart and soul. Mommy didn't love the other man I was married to." Glinda grabbed her daughter's waist and hoisted her up to sit on her lap.

"So you and Elphie will be together always?" Ella was delighted to be sitting in her mother's lap.

"Yes we will." Glinda smiled down at her daughter. "We will finally be a complete family."

Ella had always wished for a father so that their family could be complete. The addition of another female confused her however.

"We can't be a family." Ella stated.

Glinda looked at her daughter a little confused as to why she would say such a thing. "Why not sweetie?"

"Families are mommies, daddies, and kids." Ella pointed out. "Not mommies, mommies wife, and kids."

Glinda's jaw fell open at Ella's statement. Had her daughter seriously just said that families could only be families with a mom, dad, and kids?

"Ella families come in all forms. Not just mommies, daddies, and kids." Glinda tried to explain to her daughter.

"I want a normal family." Ella protested. She was unaware that her words were causing her mother such distress. She had always wanted a normal family and her mother was saying that she couldn't have one. Ella loved Elphie and wanted her around, but she also wanted a daddy. Elphie couldn't be a daddy.

Glinda felt as if someone had stuck a dagger through her chest. Her daughter was saying that she didn't want Elphie in their family.

"Don't you like Elphie?" Glinda tried to understand why her daughter was so reluctant to this new family idea.

"Yes. But I want a daddy. Elphie isn't a daddy." Ella tried to argue her point with her mother.

Glinda was at least relieved to hear that Ella liked Elphie. She wasn't relieved when she heard Ella say she wanted a daddy though. Elphie could be an extra mother to the child but that wasn't what she wanted. She wanted a male figure, not another female one.

"Elphie can try to be a parent to you if you let her." Glinda tried to get her daughter to understand that Elphie could be just as much a father figure as a real father would be.

"I already have a mommy." Ella pointed out.

"I'm not saying she is going to replace me. I'm just saying that if you let her she'd like to be an extra parent to you. Sort of like a father to you without her being a man." Glinda tried to explain to her daughter in words she might understand.

The blonde had never been more grateful for morning sickness. She was glad that Elphie wasn't out here to hear all of the things Ella was saying. It would have pained the green woman to hear Ella didn't want her in their family. Especially since she was carrying Glinda's child.

"She is not a man. How can she be a daddy?" Ella hated not being able to understand what her mother was trying to say.

"She may not be a man but that doesn't make her any less than a father figure." Glinda told her daughter and then an idea struck her. "What exactly is it that daddies do Ella?"

"They love their kids, they put them to bed, they play with them, they teach them stuff…" Ella continued her list for another minute before Glinda finally cut her off.

"And when has Elphaba not done any of those things for you?" Glinda asked her daughter.

Ella had to think for a few seconds before realization came to her. "Never."

"Exactly. Elphie can be just as much of a father as any other male." Glinda was proud that her little experiment had worked out.

"I guess you are right." Ella hung her head low. How could she have thought of Elphie as not being fatherly?

"Sweetheart don't let this upset you. I just wanted to show you that father and mothers don't always have to be males and females. The roles can switch up sometimes." Glinda brought her hand to lift her daughter's chin up.

"I'm sorry I hurt you before." Ella apologized.

"You did not know that you were so I accept your apology." Glinda hugged the little girl sitting on her lap.

She wondered how well Ella would take the next bit of news since she had taken the first so poorly. She decided now was probably not the best time to tell her, especially with Elphaba in the bathroom sick. It was more the green woman's news to tell than her own.

"Honey why don't you go to the kitchen and tell the cook to get you a snack. I want to check on Elphie to make sure everything is okay." Glinda picked her daughter up and off her lap before setting her on the ground.

"You won't leave me?" There was desperation in Ella's voice that caused Glinda heartbreak. She couldn't believe how long she had ignored her daughter before. She felt horrible.

"I won't leave you. I will be down as soon as I check on Elphie." Glinda smiled at her daughter.

"Tell her to get better." Ella smiled at her mother and left the room.

Glinda sat on the couch a couple of seconds after Ella left gathering her thoughts.

Sighing heavily she got up and made her way over towards the bathroom. The vomiting had ceased a while ago but Elphaba had still not come out.

"Elphie? Are you okay?" Glinda called into the bathroom.

"Fine." Elphaba weakly said. Her throat was sore from throwing up.

"Can I come in?" Glinda leaned her head against the door.

"Sure." Elphaba quickly scrambled to get off of the cold tiled floor before Glinda came in and saw her looking all pathetic hugging the toilet.

Glinda entered the room and saw Elphaba trying to stand. She rushed over and helped the green woman keep her balance.

"Morning sickness?" Glinda asked as she led Elphaba towards their shared bed.

"I think so." Elphaba groaned as another round of nausea took hold.

"Here sit down. Let me go get you some tea." Glinda helped Elphaba sit on her bed before going over to where she kept the tea containers. She poured some for the green woman and quickly hurried back. "Here drink this. It should help with the nausea." Glinda handed Elphaba a cup.

Elphaba accepted the cup and downed the warm soothing content in seconds.

"Thank you my sweet." Elphaba smiled at her love and handed the cup back to her.

"Are you still feeling sick?" Glinda took the cup and placed it back where the other teacups resided.

"A little." Elphaba admitted. She was unwilling to admit what brought on the nausea in the first place.

"I'm sorry." Glinda understood what Elphaba was going through. She had been extremely sick while carrying Ella.

"Don't worry about it. It will pass." Elphaba assured the blonde that everything would be okay in time. "How did Ella take the news?" She asked trying to change to subject.

"Eh…not so good. I didn't even get to tell her that you were pregnant." Glinda looked away.

Elphaba could tell that something had really upset the blonde during her and Ella's conversation.

"My sweet what's wrong?" Elphaba brought her hand up to stroke Glinda's cheek.

"It was just hard getting her to understand that's all." Glinda half smiled as she felt Elphaba rub circles with her thumb on the blonde's cheek.

"What was she having trouble understanding?" Elphaba spoke quietly.

Glinda paused for a second before turned her attention towards the green woman's eyes. "She couldn't understand that families don't always have to have a mom and a dad. I tried explaining to her that families are an assortment of moms and dads but she just didn't want to hear it."

Elphaba could hear the hurt in Glinda's voice as she spoke. Her heart broke at the sight of her lover becoming so distraught over something her daughter had said.

"Does she understand now?" Elphaba asked in confirmation.

"I think so." Glinda shrugged her shoulders. Who knew what her daughter was thinking?

"Well at least you managed to get your point across. That's all that matters." Elphaba tried to cheer her love up. She wanted desperately to do so with a kiss but refrained because she knew she didn't have the most pleasant taste in her mouth at the moment.

"I guess so." Glinda agreed but still sounded defeated.

"So she knows that we are going to be a mommy, adopted mommy, and kid? Not a mommy, daddy, and kid?" Elphaba tried to lighten the mood by using the terms Ella used.

This earned a small chuckle from the blonde. "Yes she know that we are a package deal now."

"Two for one special." Elphaba smiled at her love.

"Two peas in a pod." Glinda smiled back.

"You are the mustard to my ketchup." Elphaba laughed at her own silliness.

"Your are the peanut butter to my jelly." Glinda also allowed herself to laugh. Elphie sure had a way of lightening the mood.

"You are the pink to my green." Elphaba smiled. Glinda looked confused.

"Wait. What?" She laughed as she waited for Elphie to explain.

"You always said pink went well with green. Well you are the pink to my green." Elphaba provided a proper explanation.

Glinda finally understood and burst into laughter. She wasn't sure if the uncontrollable laughter was because of the pink and green comment or whether it was just from everything Elphie had been saying. She loved when her lover was silly with her. It helped her to not overanalyze thinks. It was what kept her grounded.

The two continued to trade sharp jabs at one another for a little while longer before Glinda remembered her promise to her daughter.

"I have to go meet Ella downstairs in the kitchen. Care to join us?" Glinda removed herself from the bed she shared with Elphaba.

"Sure. I think I've stayed hidden long enough." Elphaba smiled and followed Glinda out of the room.

"You'd be surprised how many visitors you actually had while in a coma. Who knew that in the few days you had been here you had become so popular?" Glinda half bounced as she called Elphaba popular. Something she would never have been able to say truthfully before.

Elphaba was more interested to see who had come and visited her and so she pursued that question instead of debating her popularity.

"Who all came to see me?" She questioned as she walked down the last couple of steps to the kitchen.

"Tahj, Leland, Ella, the guards that accidentally shot you, the doctors, and me of course." Glinda smiled up at her love.

"I would hardly consider that small crowd anything to be impressed with." Elphaba chuckled at Glinda's overstatement from before. She hadn't been Ms. Popular while in a coma. The only people to see her saw her because they either had to or it was out of guilt. The only exception was Tahj and Leland. Tahj she was sure had been there more for Glinda's sake than the green woman's. She was still unsure of Leland at this moment in time. He had said that everything between them was cool and he could be her friend and nothing more but something about him still bothered Elphie. She couldn't decide what it was though because Glinda interrupted her thoughts.

"Are you saying that I am unimpressive?" Glinda acted offended.

"I said no such thing my sweet. You are twisting my words." Elphaba chuckled and entered the kitchen with Elphaba in tow.

Before Glinda had a chance to argue anymore they had arrived at the kitchen to find Ella unchaperoned eating from a huge tub of ice cream.

Ella heard the intrusion and looked up to see her mother's angry eyes. She immediately dropped her spoon and tried to get away.

Glinda caught up to her daughter before she could get too far. "Ella Rosalie Upland!" Glinda said the girl's full name for dramatic effect. "When I said get a snack I did not say eat all of the ice cream in Oz!" Glinda let go of her daughter and picked her up placing her on the countertop so she was near eye level with her mother.

"I'm sorry." Ella apologized and looked away from her mother.

"Sorry will not cut it this time. I let it slide last time but I will not do the same this time." Glinda stared at her daughter trying to intimidate the little girl. She would never lay a finger on her to hurt her because she knew words were worse when it came to Ella.

"Where is the cook?" Glinda looked around the room. The only person she saw was Elphaba.

"I don't know." Ella honestly answered.

Glinda took a deep breath and removed herself from Ella's path to the door. "Go clean up. If I find one hair out of place on your head then you will be in deep trouble. You go find your nanny whatever it takes." Glinda pointed in the direction of Ella's room.

The little girl wasted no time in jumping down from the counter to go find her nanny.

"Harsh." Elphaba stated as she watched the retreating form of Ella.

"Not harsh. Necessary." Glinda replied before going over to clean up the huge mess Ella had made.

"Let me take care of this." Elphaba beat her to the mess and began picking up the carton of ice cream.

Glinda was a little too angry to put up much of a fight. She let the green woman clean up and she took a seat on one of the bar stools.

"I don't understand." Glinda huffed. "I give her one simple task and she disobeys me."

Elphaba wet a rag and took it over to where ice cream had melted and created a pool of white goop on the counter. "Glinda did you ever obey your parents when you were three and they gave you free reign to get a snack?" Elphaba wiped up the mess on the counter.

"Well no." Glinda let out a deep breath knowing where this was going.

"Exactly. She is three Glinda. She is going to do things like this." Elphaba brought the rag over to the sink and rung it out.

"But I have already told her a million times not to raid the kitchen." Glinda tried to defend her reasons for acting the way she did.

"Well you can't blame her. She inherited your appetite." Elphaba chuckled at the look Glinda gave her.

"Meany. That's what you are. You are just pure mean." Glinda stuck her tongue out at Elphaba.

"Now now what did I tell you about that tongue?" Elphaba chuckled. Glinda blushed a little as she remembered their earlier conversation.

"Do you think I was too harsh on her Elphie?" Glinda sighed and looked towards the green woman.

"Not exactly. You had your reasons. She was doing something she shouldn't have been doing. But you also have to keep in mind that you were the one who sent her down here by herself." Elphaba finished cleaning up and went to take a seat next to the blonde.

"But she was supposed to find the cook." Glinda pouted.

"That wasn't her job. That was yours." Elphaba pointed out. "You can't always tell Ella to do something and expect her to do it."

"I know you're right." Glinda sighed. "Since when did you become better at this whole parenting thing than me?" Glinda laughed a little.

"Not better." Elphaba pointed out. "We just have a different approach to parenting."

"Yes we do." Glinda agreed. "This is going to take some time isn't it?" She asked Elphaba.

"It will take a lot of time trying to come to an understanding about how to parent together. You have been doing this all by yourself for so long that it is going to take time to adjust. You won't always like what I have to say about situations concerning your daughter. There may be times when I am a lot hasher than you are, but know that I am doing it out of love. I would never intentionally mean to hurt you or Ella. We just have to deal with this whole parenting as a team thing when it comes along." Elphaba stated. She knew that this might be an issue in the future.

"I understand that when it comes to Ella I will be a little biased but know that I'm not doing it on purpose. It's just been the two of us for so long that we have to adjust to someone new. It is going to take some time so I apologize in advance if I do something without consulting you." Glinda needed to let Elphaba know that she would never intentionally not take the green woman's thoughts into consideration.

"We will have plenty of time to work on our parenting skills before little Elphie arrives." Elphaba patted her stomach.

"Little Elphie?" Glinda raised an eyebrow questioningly before chuckling.

"Well what else are we going to call her until she gets here? I don't want to just call her baby Upland or baby Thropp." Elphie chuckled.

"I guess so. We should come up with a name soon!" Glinda bounced in her chair. "That's going to be so much fun!" she squealed.

Elphaba laughed at the delight Glinda was taking in the whole situation. "Yes we will have to come up with a name. Which also leads me to another question…" Elphaba trailed off.

"What is it?" Glinda asked excitedly. She loved talking about baby stuff with her love.

"What last name will the baby have? I mean it's going to be just as much mine as it is yours." Elphaba stared at her love.

"Good question." Glinda chuckled. "We'll have plenty of time to think about that too. For now though you are carrying little Elphie." Glinda giggled as she used the nickname Elphie had given the child.

Elphaba also laughed and Glinda soon placed a hand on Elphie's stomach.

"I can't wait for you to meet your new mommies little Elphie." Glinda smiled and Elphaba reached down and placed a hand on top of Glinda's.

"Do you think she can hear us?" Glinda looked up into Elphaba's eyes.

"I think she can my sweet. I think she can." Elphaba smiled at her love and the two of them continued to hold onto each other's hand as they hovered over the green woman's stomach.

_**A/N: Okay so I have a challenge for you guys. What should the name of the baby be when it finally gets here? First name and last. Should it be Upland, Thropp, or a combination? If I like one of your answers then I will use that as the name. The baby is still quite a ways away so this allows you time to think.**_

_**Good luck with coming up with baby names! Haha.**_


	27. Chapter 26

_A/N: Please don't kill me after reading this…that said…Enjoy!_

**Chapter 26**

As the days passed by the talk around the palace changed to Ella's third birthday party. Elphaba and Glinda still had not told anyone of their engagement besides their daughter. They were too busy making sure that everything was arranged for the party.

"What time is the caterer going to be here?" Glinda asked her cook. It was the day of the party and she was running around trying to make sure everything was perfect.

"Three o'clock Madame." The cook replied. The party was set to begin around five o'clock that day.

"Okay." Glinda ran her hand through her hair exasperated. This whole party planning had become a nightmare. Just recently one of her staff members had told her the balloons would be a little late.

"Is there anything else Miss?" The cook politely asked Glinda.

"No. Just make sure that when the food gets here that you direct them where to put it. It goes outside on the table we are setting up." Glinda told her cook before leaving the room.

Glinda and Elphaba had planned on having an outdoor party for Ella. It never occurred to either one of them that security would become a nightmare, the weather would be unpredictable, and the cake might melt in the sun. Something had to be wrong with every little aspect of this party.

Glinda understood that Ella was only three and probably wouldn't remember this birthday in a couple of years but she still wanted everything to be perfect. People from all around Oz were expected to show up for this party. Governors, Dukes, Friends, Family, Ambassadors, and that was just the tip of the iceberg. Nearly one hundred people were expected to attend.

Elphaba had taken Ella out shopping for the day so that Glinda could get everything ready for the party. It wasn't a surprise party. She just wanted Ella to be away from all the preparation so that the little girl could fully enjoy her party.

Glinda was starting to think this was a very bad idea. The stress was starting to get to the blonde and she needed Elphie by her side to tell her everything would be okay. She had to wait another two hours before Elphaba would return with Ella.

Sighing heavily she stormed out from the kitchen in search of the florist who was supposed to be there thirty minutes ago.

**XXX**

"What's going on today?" Fiyero sat in his cell in the dungeons.

It had been nearly three weeks since he had been jailed and he had no idea what was going on in the real world. The only sense of comfort he had was provided by Leland. The guard would slip him some news from above every now and then.

"Glinda's daughter is turning three. They are having a huge party for her." Leland replied in an almost disgusted manor.

Fiyero knew that when they talked about Glinda's daughter that they were also talking about his. He hadn't let anyone know his connection to Ella yet although he sensed that the head security guard knew.

"Who all is going?" Fiyero was desperate for conversation. Leland was the only one to ever talk to him.

"A lot of people." Leland responded. He was a little too aggravated to form a full response.

He had planned on outing Iris as soon as she had awoken from her coma but his plans seemed futile. He was never able to speak to Iris alone because she was always with Glinda, who everyone knew by now was her girlfriend. The thought sickened Leland beyond measurement. How two women could ever love one another was beyond him. He still thought that if he could just get Iris alone and talk to her about what her knew then she could change back. He would have Iris and she would be safe knowing that Leland wouldn't tell everyone of her connection to Fiyero.

"Are you going?" Fiyero asked.

"I am going to be a security guard for the party. I'm not going for pleasure." The guard replied. He despised Glinda's daughter for almost causing him to lose his job. In no way would he voluntarily give up his Saturday to attend her birthday party.

"Who is going to be down here with me then?" Fiyero asked another question. He could tell Leland was growing tired of his questions however.

"I don't know. I'm sure you can manage a couple of hours with another guard." Leland responded harshly. He was growing tired of Fiyero always trying to strike up a conversation with him.

"Oh." Was all Fiyero managed to say. He was growing lonely down in the cell and wondered when he would ever get out. He hadn't even been on trial yet.

"Now shut up and let me do my job." Leland yelled at the man in the cell.

Fiyero was a little confused at what had set Leland off. He was usually pleasant to be around but today he was really angry for some reason.

"Okay." Fiyero agreed and went back to his cot to try and take a nap.

When he awoke an hour later he knew that Leland was gone. He flipped over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling wondering what life would be like if he had stayed with Glinda. What if he was up there right now at his daughter's birthday party? What if he had never ran off with Elphaba?

He suddenly reprimanded himself for dealing with what ifs. Sighing heavily he closed his eyes once more to try and picture what Elphaba looked like.

**XXX**

"Ella how many pairs of shoes can a three year old own?" Elphaba looked in disbelief at the amount of shoes Ella had picked off of the rack to try on.

"I like shoes." Was what the little girl responded before letting out a little giggle.

Elphaba smiled at Glinda's daughter and shook her head. Ella was more and more like her mother with each passing day.

"Okay since it's your birthday I will allow you to choose two pairs but the rest have to go back." Elphaba knew this would be hard on the little girl. She was right. Ella frowned and began to protest.

"But I want all of them." Ella pouted and stomped her foot down.

"El you're going to grow out of them before you have the chance to wear them all." Elphaba used the nickname she began to call Ella.

"Not if I wear them all at once." Ella crossed her arms over her chest.

Elphaba couldn't help but laugh at the determined look on Ella's face. "And how do you plan on wearing all of your shoes at once?"

"Like this." Ella put her feet in a pair of shoes and then put another around her hands. The three remaining pairs she stuck in her pockets and one down her pants in the back.

Elphaba couldn't help but fall on the floor with laughter. Ella looked like a clown with ten shoes just hanging randomly from anyplace that had a hook of some sort.

"Th…Three." Elphaba managed to get out between laughs. "For that you get three. But put two pair back."

Ella continued to pout but knew that she had won some small little battle. Three was better than two.

Carefully the little girl made her selections and with the approval of Elphaba they bought them.

As they walked back to the car Elphaba still couldn't contain her amusement at the sight before. Every time she went back into serious mode the mental picture of Ella with shoes all over popped back into her head. She had wished Glinda had only been there to see that. She knew her fiancée would have a good laugh at that.

"I'm very proud of you Ella. You did really good picking out your own clothes." Elphaba praised the little girl as she helped her into the carriage door. She felt like she needed to say this because Ella was having trouble color coordinating lately. One day when Glinda gave her free reign to dress herself she picked out a navy blue skirt with a black hair bow. This sort of thing didn't really bother Elphaba but she knew Glinda was having a heart attack. Navy defiantly did not go with black.

"Thank you." Ella smiled up at Elphaba. "Are we going to my party now?" She bounced excitedly in her seat.

"Yes we are." Elphaba smiled. "Promise to behave yourself." She stated more than questioned.

Ella nodded that she would and the two spent the twenty-minute ride back to the palace talking about their shopping trip.

**XXX**

"There they are." Glinda let out a relieved sigh when she saw the carriage pulling up the driveway.

She ran over to greet her daughter and Elphie as they exited. After giving her love a quick kiss and her daughter a quick hug she shuffled them quickly inside.

"Did you two enjoy shopping?" Glinda looked more towards her daughter when she asked this. She waited for a response from her daughter but was interrupted by laughter coming from her love. She looked up to see the amused expression on Elphaba's face.

"I take it shopping went well then?" Glinda chuckled as Elphaba continued to laugh.

"You should have seen her Glin." Elphaba burst out laughing again before she had a chance to explain. Glinda was amused by this random outburst from Elphie. It took a lot to amuse the green woman.

"Honey what did you do to her?" Glinda looked down to her daughter.

"Shoes." Was all that Ella responded before smiling.

"Shoes?" Glinda questioned and looked back towards Elphie.

The green woman had finally stopped laughing enough to speak. "Sh…she..got…the…shoes…an…and…put…the…them…all…ov…over." Elphaba managed to spit out between laughs. For some reason Elphaba couldn't stop laughing.

Glinda was still a little confused by Elphie's response.

"I think you broke her." Glinda stage whispered to her daughter who giggled.

"Oh stop it." Elphaba finally managed to string three words together without breaking for laugher.

"Well I'm glad that you two had a good time at least." Glinda leaned in and gave Elphaba another kiss on the lips.

Ella stood by and watched her mother kiss Elphie. She rolled her eyes at this and tugged at her mother's dress.

"Mommy's busy now." Glinda didn't look down at Ella as she spoke. She was too engrossed in the brown eyes that were staring at her.

"But mommy," Ella whined. "I want to go to the party."

Glinda reluctantly broke eye contact with her love and looked down to her daughter.

"Party. Right." Glinda smiled as she remembered what she had been stressing all day about. "Go get your nanny to clean you up and then we will start the party." Glinda nudged her daughter in the direction of her bedroom.

Ella pouted the whole way towards her room leaving Elphaba and her mother behind.

"Now where were we?" Glinda smiled and encased her arms around Elphie's neck.

"Glinda we're out in the entrance hall." Elphaba motioned to their surroundings. "Anyone could see us." Concern laced her voice.

"I know." Glinda smiled and pulled Elphaba closer to her.

"I missed you." Was all Elphaba managed to get out before pink lips were once again capturing her own.

Glinda melted as she deepened her kiss with Elphaba. She had been so stressed all day that now being back in these warm comforting arms was euphoric. She needed to kiss Elphie for all she was worth and stock up for the party.

Elphaba felt Glinda deepen their kiss and involuntarily moaned as the blonde ran her tongue across the bottom of her lip. It was sort of exciting for the green woman knowing that they were out in the open and could get caught at any second. She reached her arms around Glinda's waist and pulled the petite blonde closer.

Glinda smiled into the kiss as she felt Elphaba start to rub her hands up and down her side. She knew that they needed to stop soon or else Glinda would be too turned on to go to the party.

As if the green woman had read the blonde's thoughts she pulled back and placed her forehead against Glinda's. The two of them remained like that with their eyes closed for a little while.

"I missed you too." Glinda finally spoke.

"Good." Elphaba smiled and brought her head back so that she could stare into the eyes of her love. "Can we continue this later?" she asked innocently although she knew that they would. The two hadn't gone one night without making love since Elphie had awoke from a coma.

"Mmm I'd like that very much." Glinda bit her bottom lip and looked down at Elphaba's. In that moment she had realized they had gone a little too far. All she wanted right now was to give in and kiss the green woman's lips in front of her.

Thankfully her daughter interrupted her.

"Mommy I'm all ready." Ella paid no attention to the embrace that Elphaba and Glinda were sharing.

Elphaba let go of her fiancée and looked to the side blushing slightly. Glinda turned back to her daughter and smiled.

"Let's party then!" she enthusiastically gathered Ella up into her arms and placed the young girl on top of her shoulders.

**XXX**

An hour into the party Elphaba was growing tired of all of the people. She was never one for huge crowds like Glinda was. Kissing her love on the cheek she resigned herself to the snack bar where there were a lot less people.

She was putting some strawberries onto a plate when a familiar voice from behind frightened her causing her to drop the strawberries from her plate.

"I'm sorry about that." Leland bent down to pick the fruit up from the ground.

"It's okay. You just startled me that's all." Elphaba too knelt down to pick the strawberries up.

"I haven't seen you in awhile. How have you been?" Leland asked as he placed the fallen strawberries in the trashcan nearby.

"I've been doing good. What about you?" Elphaba asked trying to be friendly.

"I'd be better if I was back to security guard duty instead of prison guard." Leland sounded upset.

"Why are you in the prison?" Elphaba asked. Glinda or Tahj hadn't informed her of any of this.

"Don't you know?" Leland was surprised that Elphaba hadn't been told. When Elphaba shook her head he continued. "It seems your girlfriend thought I would do better watching prisoners in cells than actually protecting anyone for real threats."

There was a hateful tone in Leland's voice that did not go unnoticed by Elphaba. The green woman didn't like how he was talking about Glinda.

"I'm sorry to hear that but I'm sure Glinda had her reasons." Elphaba tried to defend Glinda without stepping over the line.

"Oh she had her reasons all right." Leland huffed. "She wanted me away from you."

Elphaba was surprised at Leland's response. Glinda wouldn't jeopardize this man's career because of something as petty as jealousy.

"Well if she wanted you away from me then I'm sure she had good reasons. Glinda would not do something like that without thinking first." Elphaba tried to move away from Leland but the tall guard caught her by the arm.

She looked up into his eyes filled with anger and was suddenly hit with fear. "Le…let go of me." She stammered as she tried to remove her arm from Leland's grasp.

Leland figured now was the only time he would ever get Iris alone and so he needed to tell her what he knew.

"Not until I get what I want." He smiled sadistically and tightened his grasp on Elphaba's arm.

Elphaba was about to scream when Leland brought a hand up to her mouth. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Not unless you want to join your lover Fiyero in the dungeon."

Elphaba's eyes widened at the mention of Fiyero's name. Glinda had not told her that Fiyero was in the dungeon. How could something like that slip her mind?

"Ah. So you do know Fiyero then." Leland was glad that his guess had been correct. From the look on Elphaba's face there was no way that she couldn't know who Fiyero was.

It took Elphaba a little longer to process what Leland had said to her. Did Leland know that she was really Elphaba, the supposed Wicked Witch of the West? How could he?

"I'm sure Glinda would love to hear that you don't really like other women in that way. I have it on good authority that you and this man Fiyero were intimate." Leland tried to make the green woman squirm. It was working.

Elphaba knew that Glinda knew about Fiyero but she also knew that Glinda didn't know specific details. She would never want for her lover to hear some of the things that Fiyero and she had done.

"I'm sure the head guard will also love to hear how you helped Fiyero gain access to the palace that day you were shot." Leland loved watching Elphaba's eyes open even wider in panic.

"I didn't do that! I would never do that!" Elphaba finally managed to wiggle herself from Leland's grasp around her mouth. His wrists digging into her skin still tied her down.

"Even if you didn't I'm sure the head guard won't have any trouble believing my story." Leland smiled.

"He won't believe you over me." Elphaba tried to act calmer than she actually was.

"Oh I think he will. You see, Fiyero and I have become sort of buddies over the past few weeks. You wouldn't imagine the stuff I know about you Iris." Leland laughed evilly.

Elphaba was starting to hyperventilate. What exactly had Fiyero told him about her? Had he revealed to him that she was the Wicked Witch of the West?

"Wha…what do you want?" Elphaba's voice cracked. She felt her wrist being twisted from the force of the grasp Leland had her in.

"You of course." Leland smiled and pulled Elphaba close to him. No one was around and so he brought a hand up and stroked the woman's cheek in front of him.

Elphaba felt repulsed as Leland touched her in a way that was only reserved for Glinda.

"You break it off with Glinda and be my wife and I won't tell anyone what I know. It'll be our little secret." He whispered the last part into the green woman's ear. "Or else Glinda and Ella are going to have one shitty life."

Elphaba knew she was going to be sick now. Feeling Leland rub up against her was too much. She cocked her head to the side and her breakfast came spilling out on the lawn.

Leland instinctively let go of the green woman and pushed her away. She stumbled and fell backwards until she landed on the ground with a thud.

"You know what Oz does to traitors? They kill them. It's either death or me. You choose." Leland walked away satisfied that he had finally been able to corner the woman who he lusted after. Now he just had to wait for Iris to come around and choose him. She would surely choose him over death.

**XXX**

"Elphie what's wrong?" Glinda hurried over to wear Elphaba was lying on the ground. Someone had come and got her when they saw Elphaba throw up near the snack table.

"Elphie answer me." Glinda tried to get Elphaba to look at her.

When Elphaba finally looked at Glinda her eyes were glistened with unshed tears. Her mouth hung open searching for words but none came. The green woman couldn't understand what had just happened to her. One minute everything was beyond perfect and the next thing she knew her life was crashing down around her.

"Elphie sweetheart. Please tell me what's wrong." Glinda was now on her knees kneeling next to the green woman. She had never seen her love so defeated. The last time she had that look in her eyes was when she had seen Elphie for the last time before her 'melting'.

"ELPHIE!" Glinda yelled a little louder trying to snap the green woman out of whatever trance she was in.

"I..I have t...to go." Elphaba shook her head and tried to stand.

"Go where? Elphie what happened?" Glinda was concerned for her love. She was speaking total gibberish.

"I can't be here. I made a mistake by coming back. I should never have come back." Elphaba turned her face from the blonde's. She didn't want to see the tears forming in her love's eyes.

"Elphie what are you talking about? I love you. Of course you should have come back." Glinda's voice shook as tears started to stream down her face.

"I can't put you and Ella in anymore danger. I just can't." Elphaba shook her head. She wasn't willing to compromise Glinda and Ella's life for her happiness.

"Danger? What danger? There is no danger here!" Glinda tried to convince Elphie that they were safe.

"There won't be once I leave. I have to leave." Elphaba started walking away from her love. She couldn't say goodbye, it would hurt her too much. She knew this was the only way to keep her loves safe. If she disappeared then Leland would have nothing to hold over her. Everything would go back to normal.

"Leave?! Elphie you can't leave!" Glinda chased after her love.

More partygoers were starting to look towards the commotion they heard taking place near the snack bar. They saw Glinda chasing after her new girlfriend.

"I have to." Elphaba continued to walk faster.

"Damn it! I am not losing you again now what the hell happened?!" Glinda yelled as she caught up to Elphie and grabbed her arm yanking her around.

Elphaba felt the same arm Leland had injured being grabbed and pulled it back instinctively. She wasn't going to allow him to get to her again. She turned around and with all her strength told the biggest lie she would ever tell to anyone.

"I DON'T LOVE YOU NOW FUCK OFF!" She screamed towards Glinda. She knew this wasn't true but it was the only way to stop Glinda from following her. She took one last glance at her love before storming off of the palace grounds.

If every person at the party hadn't been watching before they were now. They watched as Glinda chased after the woman she loved only to have that woman yell words at her that no one ever wanted to hear. They watched as Glinda stood still for a moment before collapsing to the ground while her girlfriend stormed off. Glinda held her head between her hands and her body shook as she began to cry. All thoughts of the party were forgotten.


	28. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

Tahj was standing near the palace gates when he heard yelling and hateful words. He looked around to see what was happening when his eye suddenly caught Glinda lying on the ground crying and her girlfriend walking towards the palace exit.

Luckily Tahj was near the palace exit to meet Elphaba as she stormed out.

"Iris!" He called after the woman. "Iris wait up!" he jogged to catch up to the green woman who was walking as fast as she could.

"Get away from me." Elphaba's voice cracked as she continued to walk towards the gates.

Tahj had finally caught up to the woman and placed a hand on her arm to stop her. Elphaba pulled her arm back and turned around to look at Tahj. Tahj was a little frightened by the look Elphaba gave him.

"Why does everyone have to fucking touch me today?" The green woman seethed.

"What are you talking about Iris?" Tahj overcame his fear of the woman now standing next to him and decided to speak up. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong!" Elphaba's voice rose an octave higher than normal. "What's wrong?!" she repeated again.

Tahj only shook his head as he waited for a response.

"I…I have to go." Elphaba's anger faltered a little as she glanced in the direction where Glinda was. There were a couple of women around her now trying to help the fragile blonde up. Elphaba's heart split open. She should be the one picking her lover back up. Not other women.

"Iris please just wait. I don't know what happened back there but I know that you still love Glinda." Tahj called after Elphaba who had walked another fifteen feet to the entrance.

Elphaba turned around once more at Tahj's last words. She did love Glinda, more than anything, she just couldn't be with her. Someone would end up getting hurt.

"I can't be with her." There was defeat in the green woman's voice. Tahj noticed that Elphaba's anger seemed to be wavering. Unshed tears now glistened in the green woman's eyes.

"And why can't you?" Tahj hesitantly walked towards Elphaba.

"It's complicated." Elphaba knew that she needed to stop talking and run off before it was too late. She was already losing her nerve.

"Love is complicated." Tahj had finally made his way over to the green woman and cautiously placed his hand on Elphaba's shoulder.

The green woman physically tensed at this action but remained calm. This wasn't Leland she had to remind herself.

"I can't talk about this. I just can't." The tears that threatened to spill in the green woman's eyes now began to fall. Tahj reached into his guard's uniform and pulled out a handkerchief handing it to the green woman.

"You can't run away from this either. Whatever is causing you to act like this isn't going to stop if you run away. You have to face your fears head on Iris." Tahj tried to get the woman in front of him to stay. He knew that if she left then that would be the last time they would probably ever see her. Glinda would be too angry to go find her and they hardly knew anything about this woman's history. The only things the guards knew for sure were that her name was Iris, she was pregnant, and she was twenty-five years old. If this woman disappeared today then there would be no way to track her down.

"What if my fear is you." Elphaba let slip before she realized what she had just said. She brought a hand up to her mouth to stifle any other unwelcome words.

"Me?" Tahj asked confused. "I don't think you have anything to be fearful about when it comes to me. I am happy that Glinda has finally found someone. I would do anything for her and you for that matter. I want to see you both happy." Tahj tried to convince Elphaba that he was sincere. He really did care about Glinda and her well-being.

Elphaba had already said too much. She could run now and never look back or she could trust what Tahj was telling her and confess everything to the man. Maybe if he knew about their situation then Leland would no longer be a threat. Maybe Tahj could help protect Elphaba from being discovered.

There were so many things to consider. Tahj had always been a trustworthy friend to the two women. He was also the head security guard at Glinda's palace. Any sort of threat was to be taken care of immediately. Once he found out Elphaba's true identity then he would surely kill her.

Elphaba decided that she couldn't tell him who she was but she could try and determine what he already knew.

"What do you know about me?" Elphaba asked. Tahj found the woman in front of him a little paranoid.

"I know that your name is Iris. I know that Glinda is in love with you and that you two are having a child together. I know that you are twenty-five years old. I know you well enough to know that that display back there was just a show. You would never say any of those things to Glinda. You love her and Ella too much to stoop so low." Tahj named off all of the things he knew about the green woman.

"Is that all?" Elphaba asked. She was trying to not let Tahj's last comment get to her.

"Yes that is all." Tahj replied angrily. "What is this all about Miss Iris?"

Elphaba stood with her feet planted on the ground. Her mind was telling her to run away now that she knew that he was oblivious to who she really was. Her heart was telling her to stay and fight for Glinda. She didn't know which one to trust at the moment. Her heart had usually always served her right whereas her head seemed to over think a lot of the time.

"Do you believe everything that Leland tells you?" Elphaba decided that her heart would win out this time.

"Master Toyik? Well of course not. He doesn't have the best track record around here. What does this have to do with you and Glinda? Did he hurt you?" Tahj tried to figure out the sudden shift in conversation.

"Tahj I haven't been honest with you." Elphaba looked down towards the ground. It was now or never. She would tell him who she was and then wait to gauge his reaction. She was still in running distance of the exit. She could probably make it if her words caused him to try and capture her.

"Whatever it is you can tell me Iris. Trust in me." Tahj tried to ease the girls growing anxiety.

"That's just it. I can't seem to trust you." Elphaba huffed.

"Is it because of what you said earlier? That you are afraid of me?" Tahj looked into Elphaba's eyes asking for an answer. He wasn't going to leave until he was sure that she would come with him.

"That's just it. I'm not afraid of you. You are the nicest person I have ever met besides Glinda. I'm afraid of what you represent." Elphaba shuffled her feet nervously.

"What I represent?" Tahj was confused. "What exactly do I represent Miss Iris?"

"You are a guard for Oz sake! I cannot trust you because you are a guard!" Elphaba blurted out. She really needed to get a handle on that whole controlling your emotions and words thing.

"Shouldn't I be more trustworthy if I am a guard then? I am here to protect Glinda and whoever else requires protecting." Tahj tried to convince the woman that he was of no threat.

Elphaba sighed heavily. This was a lot harder than she ever thought. She wanted to tell Tahj so this whole mess would go away but at the same time she didn't want to tell him because it could make this whole situation worse.

"Not when I am your enemy." Elphaba took a deep breath. "My name isn't Iris. Glinda knows this. Don't be angry with her. This was all my idea." The green woman spoke a thousand words a minute.

Tahj looked very confused by this new revelation. "Well if your name isn't Iris then what is it?"

"Elphaba." The green woman closed her eyes. "Elphaba Thropp."

Tahj's eyes opened in terror. He knew the name Elphaba Thropp. Commoners might not know that name but all members of the security force did.

"Get back you witch!" He scrambled back and tried to grab at his musket. Damn. He had left it at home for the party.

"Tahj please." Elphaba tried to quiet the man down. "I am not evil. I have never been evil. Glinda knew this all along. If you just listen to me I can explain everything to you. I promise I am not here to hurt you. I just want to have a chance to explain myself."

"You are evil! You have risen from the dead!" Elphaba's attempts to quiet the man down apparently had not worked. He spoke with more force this time.

"Please Tahj allow me to explain. I never was dead in the first place. I have been in hiding. Glinda didn't even know until I came back to her. I love her Tahj." Elphaba pleaded with her friend not to go against her.

Tahj was still terrified of the woman in front of him. Everyone had heard horror stories about how the Wicked Witch of the West had hurt poor and defenseless animals. They heard about her kidnapping a little child just for a pair of shoes. They heard that she had taken a man's heart away and left a lion with no courage. Everyone was terrified of the green witch.

"Why aren't you green?" Realization struck Tahj. The Wicked Witch of the West was green. The woman standing in front of his was ivory skinned.

"I use a glamour spell to appear normal colored. I only appear green to Glinda and Ella." Elphaba was glad that Tahj began asking questions instead of screaming into her face. Maybe he was coming around.

"I don't believe you. You can't be the Wicked Witch of the West. She was killed nearly three years ago. If you were her then why didn't you come back to Glinda before now?" Tahj still couldn't believe that this person in front of him was Elphaba Thropp, Wicked Witch of the West.

"I didn't die." Elphaba was frustrated that she had to repeat herself. "And I didn't come back because I knew it wasn't safe. I wasn't worried about me as much as I was worried about Glinda. If people found out we were friends and that she was harboring a fugitive then I couldn't deal with that. If anything bad happened to her…" Elphaba voice cracked as she thought about what could have happened to her love.

She shook it off and continued. She needed to get as much out before Tahj could say something else. "I came back once I heard Glinda had a child. I made a promise three and a half years ago to take care of Glinda's child if she ever had one. We were going to raise Ella together. I just recently found out that Ella existed."

Tahj stood dumbfounded. He heard real sincerity in this woman's voice but all of his senses were telling him that this could all just be a trap. The Wicked Witch could probably control other people's emotions. She had probably made this whole story up and was waiting for him to believe it. He couldn't allow himself to fall into her trap.

"If you are the Wicked Witch then prove it." Tahj stated.

Elphaba tried to think of a way she could prove to the guard she was truly Elphaba Thropp. The only thing that kept coming back to her was by using magic. She wasn't going to do this though. She knew it was a trap for him to capture her. The second that one ounce of magic escaped her fingers the guard would attack her claiming self defense.

"I can't prove it to you. I am not going to do magic in front of you." Elphaba stated which seemed to disappoint Tahj. "All I can tell you is that I am Elphaba, Thropp third descending from Nest Hardings. My sister was Nessarose, my brother is named Shell, and my father is named Frex. I am twenty-five years old and I attended Shiz University along with Glinda. We were roommates and best friends. I am not evil, nor have I ever been evil. I was simply misunderstood and so I had to fake my own death to stay alive. If I were truly evil I wouldn't have stayed hidden for three years. Now would I? Water does not melt me as everyone assumes. And the last thing I know for sure is that I am madly and deeply in love with Glinda. I would never do anything to hurt her. That is why I said those hateful things and why I was trying to leave. It was getting to dangerous for her. For us." Elphaba finished and let out a breath she had been holding the whole time.

Tahj stood there shell shocked. The woman in front of him had just repeated the whole history of the woman known as Elphaba Thropp. He didn't know what to believe anymore. Had he researched about this woman or was this really her?

"How was it becoming dangerous?" Tahj decided to pursue that question first.

"Your prisoner, Fiyero, he's my ex. And before you say anything, yes I am aware that he is Ella's father. That is another story for another time. Anyways, apparently Leland and Fiyero have become good friends while Leland has been working down in the cells. Fiyero told Leland some things, I'm not exactly sure what, and Leland cornered me today. He said that if I didn't call things off with Glinda and marry him instead then he would hurt Glinda and Ella. He also said he would fabricate some lie about how I tried to help Fiyero gain access to the palace. I would never do such a thing. I despise that man as much as Glinda does." Elphaba explained to Tahj what had happened earlier.

Tahj seemed shocked. Never in his twenty years as a guard had he heard of one of his own blackmailing someone. If Leland knew something about Iris then he should have come to him right away instead of try and get something out of it.

"So you left so you could keep Glinda and Ella safe?" Tahj tried to grasp this concept. This act seemed selfless. The Wicked Witch was anything but selfless. Maybe this woman wasn't so evil after all.

"Yes." Elphaba was glad that Tahj finally seemed to understand. She knew they still had a lot to talk about though.

"I'm sorry Iri…Elphaba." Tahj corrected himself. Elphaba smiled as this man called her by her actual name. "I'm having trouble grasping all of this." The man admitted.

"I understand completely. How about we go inside and I can explain this to you some more?" Elphaba offered.

Tahj knew he had two options. He could either arrest the woman in front of him and destroy not only her life but Glinda's as well, or he could listen to what this woman had to say. Maybe she had been misunderstood all of these years.

"I have many questions for you. I still don't believe that you are all too trustworthy right now but I am trying. I will hear you out, and if things turn bad…" he trailed off afraid to continue.

"I understand. You can shackle me and throw me in the dungeon if I don't convince you that I am not evil by the time the day is up." Elphaba sounded confident that Tahj would soon see her side of the situation.

"Let's go into my office. We can talk in private there." Tahj waited for Elphaba to head in the direction of his office. He was definitely not going first. What if Elphaba hexed him from behind or took off running for it?

"Okay." Elphaba agreed and walked back towards the palace. She sensed no bad emotions coming from this man. Only a ton of confusion. She trusted Glinda enough to know that this man was really honest.

The two of them headed back towards Tahj's office to talk about everything. Elphaba had many things to explain to Tahj and Tahj had many questions to ask.

**XXX**

"Wh…why…wo…would…sh…she…do…tha..that….to…me?" Glinda sobbed into the shoulder of one of her good friends who had overheard the whole argument.

The two women were back up in Glinda's room now. It took a lot for her friend to get the blonde back up there. She practically had to carry her limp form up the stairs.

"Shh sweetie. Calm down. She's not worth your tears." Glinda's friend Alice tried to sooth the girl whose head rested on her shoulder. Her shirt had become soaked from Glinda's tears.

"Bu…but…sh…she….is…wor..worth…it." Glinad continued to cry as Alice stroked her hair.

"Anyone who screams at you like she did is not worth it. You can do better than her Glinda." Alice tried to convince the blonde that she was better than Elphaba.

"I…I..don…don't…wa…want….better." Glinda clung to her friend's body for dear life. She had never felt so miserable and crushed in her life. She felt desperate for the contact that her friend was providing her. Without it she felt as if she might slip away. Alice was her only connection to reality.

"Glinda sweetheart listen to me." Alice moved her hand to Glinda's chin and slowly lifted the girl from her spot on her shoulder. She continued to lift the head until she was met with red puffy eyes from the blonde. "You are amazingly beautiful and if she can't see that then it is her loss. She gave up the best thing to ever happen to her. You deserve so much more from a partner. You deserve someone who will love you in return."

Glinda bit her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. "I thought she did love me." Glinda spoke her first complete sentence since collapsing in the field.

"Oh sweetheart I know you did." Alice pulled Glinda back towards her body and held her there for a little while.

Glinda was the first to pull away from the embrace and look up into Alice's eyes.

Alice was surprised at the loss of contact from the blonde. She looked up to see what had caused the interruption. She was met with eye's she had never seen before. There was desperation in the blonde's eyes.

"Glinda sweetheart what's wrong?" Alice asked although she knew it was a dumb question. Everything was wrong. Glinda's whole world was falling apart.

"I…I…" Glinda started to say but her throat went dry. She was left speechless.

Alice looked to her friend expecting her to continue but when she didn't she became even more worried.

"Glinda please look at me." Alice asked because Glinda had turned her face towards the bedspread. When she received no response she raised her hand once again to lift the woman's head to meet hers.

When Glinda was finally looking back at Alice she continued. "You are a gorgeous young woman and you have a lot to offer. One day you will meet someone who accepts you for who you are. You are going to meet someone who will love and cherish you the way you deserve. If Iris couldn't see that you are worth all of that then she wasn't worth it. No matter how much you think she was. If she truly loved you she would never have said those things to you." Alice tried to get Glinda to understand she was worth it.

Glinda felt all reality slipping from her. She had thought Elphaba was the one for her only to have the green woman scream in her face that she didn't love her. Everything the blonde thought she knew was flipped upside down.

In a desperate attempt to keep a firm grasp on reality she leaned forward and captured Alice's surprised lips on her own. Alice immediately pulled back and stared wide eyed at the blonde.

"Glinda what are you doing?" Alice frantically asked the blonde.

Glinda bit her bottom lip. She didn't know what to say. All she knew was that she needed something, anything, to dull the pain she was feeling right now. She needed a distraction from thinking about the woman who had just broken her heart. If she squinted enough Alice kind of looked a little like Elphie minus the green skin.

"I need this. Please." Glinda stared desperately into Alice's eyes begging for something she knew she would regret later. She didn't care though. At this moment in time all she needed was contact. She needed Alice to make her forget.

"Glinda I don't know if I can. I can't take advantage of you like this." Alice looked nervously away. It wasn't that she didn't want the blonde. Who wouldn't? Glinda was beautiful in every way.

"It's not taking advantage if I want it." Glinda leaned closer to Alice.

"But you want it for the wrong reasons Glin." Alice turned her attention back towards the distraught blonde. "I want you to want to be with me because you want it. Not because you are trying to forget someone else." It pained Alice to say the truth. She knew Glinda would never want her. She had many opportunities before Iris had shown up but Glinda had shown no interest. She forgot about her little crush on the blonde long ago knowing that it would never become a reality.

"Please Alice. Please." Glinda repeated searching the woman's eyes for understanding. It was pathetic how she was practically begging for sex. She didn't care.

"Glinda I just ca…" Glinda's lips cut off Alice once again. The blonde sure knew Alice's one weak spot.

Alice felt the blonde's tongue running across her lips and tried to keep them shut. She wasn't willing to give in. Maybe if Glinda felt her protests then she would give up.

This little action didn't seem to even phase the blonde. She went on kissing Alice until the other woman eventually caved.

Alice felt Glinda's tongue enter her mouth and all thoughts of stopping the blonde vacated her mind. The feel of Glinda's lips against her own mesmerized her. It was how Alice had always imagined kissing the blonde to be like. She tried not to think about whom this kiss was really meant for.

Glinda felt Alice caving in and smiled a little in victory. She needed to feel. Alice was the only one providing her with feeling at the moment. She slowly leaned backwards pulling the brunette on top of her. She was glad that the sun had gone down. With the room dark and the curtains pulled down she couldn't tell that it wasn't Elphaba on top of her.

Alice felt herself being pulled down by the blonde and couldn't help but allow it to happen. So many things were telling her this was wrong but her body was telling her this was right. She had longed to touch the blonde for so long and now Glinda was giving her access. Glinda was giving her free reign to ravage her.

Glinda tugged roughly at Alice's shirt trying to remove it from the woman. She wasn't taking her time with gentle caresses like she usually did during sex with Elphie. She was ripping at the clothes at if they wouldn't come off fast enough. She needed to hurry up before Alice could possibly back down.

Alice felt her shirt being pulled off and guiltily allowed it to happen. Reaching down she unclasped the first three buttons of Glinda's dress and carefully placed her hand inside to cup one of the blonde's pert breasts.

Glinda's back arched as she felt Alice make contact with her skin. She needed all of what Alice was offering right now. The numb feeling was being replaced by another feeling. She couldn't quite place it however. It was different than the feeling she had during making love to Elphie. The feeling she was having now was one of lust mixed with shame.

"Glinda we shouldn't." Alice finally pulled her lips away from the blonde's. Her hand remained in its spot unwilling to move

"We should." Glinda sighed as she placed an arm back around Alice's neck and pulled her down into another thirsty kiss.

Alice was too lost in Glinda to put up any more fights. She resigned to simply following the blonde's actions from here on out. It was too late to go back anyways.

**XXX**

Elphaba smiled a little as she walked back towards Glinda's room. She had spent a good hour or two explained to Tahj everything about her life and how she came to the point she was at now.

Tahj had eventually settled down enough to actually listen to what Elphaba had to say. He heard her recount the events with the Wizard, the whole melting situation, and how she had lived with Fiyero for the past three years in hiding at Kiamo Ko. He was now aware of every little aspect that only Fiyero, Glinda, and Elphaba knew.

When he stepped back to look at the situation he could see that Elphaba really was not a bad person. She was just misunderstood.

Confident enough in his judgment, Tahj allowed Elphaba to go find Glinda to try and apologize for earlier. He promised to keep an eye out for Leland while the green girl poured her heart out.

He would of course keep and eye on her, but for now he felt she needed a breather.

Elphaba had left Tahj's office with a sense of confidence and hopefulness that everything would be okay. Tahj no longer considered her wicked and was willing to stick up for her if Leland did anything to hurt any of them.

Elphaba reached the door to Glinda's bedroom and took a deep breath. She was going to have to apologize for hours on end and hope that Glinda would find some way to forgive her.

She opened the door expecting to find a little balled up blonde crying her eyes out. She wasn't expecting what she actually saw.


	29. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

_Thirty minutes earlier…_

Moans filled the air in Glinda's bedroom suite. They were not the usual moans of Elphaba and Glinda. The moans this time were of Glinda and another woman. The two woman were wrapped up in each other's embrace on Glinda's queen sized bed.

"Sweet Oz you're beautiful." Alice looked over Glinda's body after removing the blonde's dress. The two women were now bare except for their undergarments.

"Touch me." Glinda responded. She didn't need to hear how beautiful she was right now. She needed Alice to relieve the pressure that was building up inside of her.

The brunette on top of Glinda complied and brought her hand down to brush along the insides of the blonde's thighs.

Glinda shuttered as she felt Alice enter territory that she had only allowed three other people to explore.

"More." Glinda gasped and moved her body downwards willing Alice's hand to move up.

Alice wasted no time in moving her hand up towards Glinda's still clothed area. The second she was met with the silky material a whimper escaped the blonde. The brunette stilled her hand movement and looked up to meet Glinda's eyes.

"Am I hurting you?" Alice was afraid that Glinda had whimpered because she had hurt her. Glinda's eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"Don't worry about it." Glinda smiled and encouraged the brunette to continue.

Alice hesitated a moment before resuming her task of kissing down the blonde's neck while her hand traced figure eight's on the silky material below.

A few seconds passed and another whimper escaped the blonde's mouth.

Alice couldn't ignore this anymore however much she wanted to. She was so close to getting what she had always wanted but her conscious was telling her this was wrong. She tried to ignore her conscious but Glinda's whimper's only seemed to reinforce the fact that this was wrong.

Alice sighed before moving her hand away from Glinda and back up to her own side. She carefully removed herself from on top of Glinda and laid next to her.

Glinda was confused at the sudden interruption and so she turned to meet Alice.

Alice was the first to speak. She felt as if she had to explain her reaction.

"Glinda I can't do this. Not with you crying. I am not going to hurt you like that." Alice looked into blue eye's hoping for understanding.

"I can do this. I need this." Glinda pleaded with Alice. She needed to keep thoughts of the green woman from invading her mind.

"You may need this but not from me." It hurt Alice to speak the truth. She knew that Glinda had been using her to forget about Iris. "For Oz sake you cry every time I touch you down there." Frustration now seeped into the brunette's words.

"I don't mean to cry." Glinda's voice cracked. She had gone too long without contact. Thoughts of Elphie were beginning to assault her mind once again. She needed to get Alice to resume contact. "I won't cry anymore, I promise. Just please." Glinda begged Alice and moved her hand over to caress the other woman's stomach.

Alice pushed the blonde's arm away. "Glinda I don't want us both doing something we will regret later. You are one of my best friends. I am not willing to lose that for one night of meaningless sex." Alice turned on her side to face Glinda.

"I know you have a crush on me. I'm giving you permission to have sex with me. What more do you need!" Glinda angrily yelled at the woman next to her. She was becoming very sexually frustrated as well as all of her other emotions from before.

"You are giving me permission to have sex with you?" Alice asked stunned. "Glinda don't you see. I don't want just sex. If I were to be with you I would want a relationship too. And I know that is something you will never be willing to have with me. I'm not that girl." Alice looked into Glinda's blue eyes with a shred of hope that Glinda would counter and say she was that girl. She knew that would never be the case however.

"I just need to feel." Glinda began crying again. She felt horrible for dragging Alice into the situation like she had. She knew that she had crossed the line with her friend and that it must be taking all of Alice's willpower to fight back.

"Sweetheart I understand. I do. I have been in love before myself. But sex isn't the answer. It will only complicate everything ten times more than it already is." Alice tried to speak with confidence although she didn't feel confident at all. She had nearly given in to her animal instincts and destroyed the bond between her and Glinda. She felt as defeated as Glinda right now.

"But I want to forget." Glinda close her eyes and cried.

Alice didn't care that they were lying naked in Glinda's bed. Modesty had flown out the window long ago. She carefully pulled Glinda close to her and wrapped her arms around the shaking blonde.

"Shh." Alice hushed into the blonde's ears trying to calm her pain. "I know you want to forget. It's going to take time though."

Glinda continued to cry as she thought about not only Elphie but about what Alice had sacrificed for her. She pulled back and removed herself from Alice's embrace blushing slightly.

"What is it?" Alice asked Glinda who looked like she was about to say something.

"I…I'm sorry Alice. I shouldn't have come on to you like that. I knew that you had feelings for me and I never meant to hurt you." Glinda searched the brunette's eyes for forgiveness. "I'm so stupid." Glinda brought a hand up to slap herself in the forehead.

Alice stopped Glinda's hand before it could reach its destination. "You are not stupid. You were simply confused about what you wanted. It happens to all of us." Alice tried to ease the blonde's fears. "And no need for apology. I should be the one apologizing. I almost took advantage of you Glinda. If we had actually slept together then I would never be able to forgive myself." It was Alice's turn to look distraught.

"I shouldn't have put you in that position Alice. I wouldn't have even known what to do if we had had sex. I admire your restraint." Glinda tried to ease the brunette's troubled thoughts.

"You better admire my restraint. Do you know how hard it is to deny you?" Alice joked trying to lighten the mood.

Glinda chuckled a little. Her first true chuckle since Elphaba had left. "Now that you mention it…" she trailed off.

"Oh please." Alice huffed dramatically which earned another smile from the blonde.

Glinda's face suddenly went from amused to serious again. "Alice do you think we can ever still be friends?" She needed to know. She had had enough heartbreak today. She couldn't bare to lose another friend.

"Of course." Alice smiled towards Glinda who smiled in return. "But you do owe me one now." Alice teased. "Next time I get my heart torn out I will be sure to find you and ask you to repay the favor."

Glinda's eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare." She stated in disbelief.

"Yep. Next round of sympathy sex I'll be host." She laughed. Glinda smiled back at her friend.

"Thank you." She stated sincerely and looked into the brunette's eyes.

"Anytime." Alice smiled back at Glinda.

The two women laid next to each other in silence for a little while longer before Glinda yawned. The day had been an exhausting one and all the crying had left her depleted.

"You need to sleep." Alice stated. It was more of a command than a question.

"I'm afraid of what will haunt my dreams if I do." Glinda honestly stated. She was afraid to fall asleep and dream of Elphaba's face.

"What if I stay and protect you from any bad dreams?" Alice asked.

"You'd do that?" Glinda asked her friend.

"To make sure you sleep well then yes. That is what friends are for." The brunette held out her arms. Glinda saw this as an invitation to be held and scooted her way towards Alice. Once Glinda was in the brunette's arms she closed them around the petite figure.

Glinda knew this was childish to want someone to hold her while she slept but she didn't care. Alice was providing her with some sort of comfort.

"Thank you." She said quietly as she closed her eyes to sleep.

"Anytime." She heard Alice respond before she drifted off.

Alice heard the soft snoring coming from the blonde and knew that she had fallen asleep from mere exhaustion. She tightened her grip around the blonde woman trying to embed the memory of how she felt in her arms. This would be the last time that she would ever be like this.

Alice sighed at she too closed her eyes willing sleep to come.

It didn't take long before snoring was not only coming from one occupant of Glinda's bed, but from both. The two woman were still unclothed and Alice had her arm securely draped around Glinda's waist. Her head was nuzzled into the blonde's neck breathing in her heavenly scent. She was going to protect Glinda from any bad dreams that she was bound to have that night.

**XXX**

Elphaba reached her door and cautiously turned the door knob. The door clicked open and she quickly walked in shutting the door behind her so she didn't let in too much light. The room was enclosed in a mass of black. It was hard enough for Elphaba to even see her hand right in front of her face. She reached over to flip on the light switch when she heard a distant noise that caused the woman to drop her hand back towards the ground.

Standing still, as to not make any noise, she listened carefully to hear if it was Glinda crying. What she heard comforted her. The light snoring that she knew so well permeated the air.

Elphaba realized that there was nothing that she could do until the morning came. She was not going to wake up Glinda when she sounded like she was sleeping so peacefully.

Elphaba knew that she couldn't slip into bed unnoticed and so she opened the door to leave.

Halfway out the door she looked back towards Glinda to try and catch a glimpse of the beautiful blonde. What she saw caused the green woman's heart to stop.

There illuminated in the light from the door was Glinda and another woman. They were both asleep and Elphaba could tell they were unclothed under the sheets. One of the girl's that Elphaba met at Ella's party had her arm wrapped around Glinda. Her Glinda.

Elphaba's arm dropped down from the doorknob and the door slowly inched open on its own accord, revealing the room even more.

Tear's glistened in the green woman's eyes as she stood speechless watching Glinda in the arms of another woman. She was to disconcerted to say or do anything.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Glinda was supposed to be in the arms of Elphaba and only Elphaba. Elphaba couldn't bring herself to tear her eyes away from the blonde and this other woman. Maybe if she stood staring long enough someone would pinch her and tell her this was all a bad dream.

Elphaba was too lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice when Glinda began to stir. The only thing that brought Elphaba back to reality was hearing Glinda's harmonious voice.

"Alice." Glinda slurred sleepily. "Turn the light off." Glinda scooted further back and bumped into something behind her. Glinda's eyes flew open in realization that Alice was still behind her and very much asleep. So who could be at the door?

Glinda bolted up in bed grabbing the sheets to cover herself to see who had interrupted their sleep. She stared towards the doorway and had to blink a couple of times to make out the blurry figure that was surrounded by light.

It took a couple of blinks before Glinda could make out the angular features of her true love.

"Elphie." Glinda gasped when she realized whom this figure was.

Elphaba's tears streamed down her face as she heard Glinda call her name. The sheets wrapped around her chest proved they were in fact exposed under the sheets. Glinda had given herself to another woman.

"Elphie please. It's not what it looks like." Glinda scrambled out of bed grabbing at the sheets to follow her. Alice stayed asleep as the blankets were pulled from her body.

Elphaba continued to stare as Glinda stole the sheets off another woman and headed towards where she was standing.

"Elphie please talk to me." Glinda pleaded towards the green woman. She forgot that she was even angry with the green woman for breaking her heart earlier.

"I don't think there's anything to say." Elphaba finally spoke up. Tears were spilling down her face now faster than they ever had before. She thought breaking up with Glinda was the hardest thing she ever had to witness. She was wrong.

"Elphie nothing happened!" Glinda tried to get the green woman to understand.

"Nothing happened! Nothing happened?!" Elphaba voice grew loud. "You were lying in bed naked with another woman!"

"We didn't have sex. I promise." Glinda's own tears began to stream down her face. Elphaba was probably coming to apologize and now she had ruined any chance at getting the green woman back.

"Why should I care who you sleep with? We aren't together anyways." Elphaba took another glance at the women lying in Glinda's bed before storming off down the hall.

Glinda followed after the woman she loved. She didn't care if the whole palace saw her in just a sheet.

"Then why did you come back?" Glinda had finally caught up to the green woman.

"It doesn't matter anymore._ I_ don't matter anymore." Elphaba cried as Glinda ran after her in only a sheet. It was a reminder of what had happened earlier between Glinda and that woman whose name she now knew as Alice.

"Elphie you're all that matters. Please talk to me." Glinda pleaded with the green woman. She wished she could tell Elphaba what had happened but the green woman wasn't allowing her the time of day.

"I came back to tell you that I was sorry. I came back to tell you that I overacted earlier because I was being blackmailed by Leland. I had no choice in saying the things I said to you." Elphaba couldn't look in Glinda's eyes. Those were eyes that had betrayed her.

Glinda's eyes went wide in realization. Of course Elphie had never meant those things earlier. That was not like Elphaba to just cuss her out and leave for no reason. She should have known something was wrong. She shouldn't have reacted the way she did and try to sleep with whoever was there at the time. She should have gathered all of the facts before flying off the handle.

"Elphie I didn't know." Glinda's voice was soft. She was disgusted with herself. How had she let herself almost sleep with someone besides Elphie?

"Well it doesn't matter now. You betrayed me Glinda. You slept with another woman!" Elphaba yelled at the blonde. Everything Elphaba had told Tahj was for their sake. Now it was all worth nothing.

"I didn't sleep with her! I swear!" Glinda needed to let Elphaba know that they hadn't slept together.

"Oh stop lying Glinda. I'm not stupid. I have eyes. You two were lying naked on your bed. _Our_ bed. There is no other explanation!" Elphaba continued to yell. She didn't care that the time was near midnight and half of the palace was asleep.

"Oz damn it Elphie! Just allow me to speak okay?" Glinda figured she was going to have to fight fire with fire. "You broke my heart out there today. You ripped it into little pieces and set them aflame. How the hell was I supposed to react? Wait for you to come around to your senses? Oz knows how long that would have taken!"

"So instead of waiting around for me you go and fuck the first thing that lands at your doorstep!" Elphaba accused Glinda.

"Don't you dare!" Glinda seethed. "I am not the only guilty person here. And I did not have sex with Alice!"

"Then explain to me why you were lying around naked with another woman." Elphaba boiled with rage.

"I…I…" Glinda couldn't exactly come up with the right words to tell Elphaba. If Alice hadn't stopped the two then they would have had sex.

"Exactly. You can't even come up with a response because anything you tell will be a lie. Just admit that you slept with another woman and make this easier on both of us." Elphaba's voice choked. Her anger was turning into grief once again.

"I'm not going to lie and tell you that we didn't do anything, because we did. I am telling you that we honestly did not have sex though." Glinda figured that best response was a direct one.

"What all did you do then?" Elphaba needed to know. How could two women end up unclothed without having sex?

Glinda wasn't expecting to have to give a detailed account of what happened. She couldn't lie to Elphaba. That would only make things worse. "Elphaba I was so lost once you left me. I needed to feel anything but numb. I never thought I was going to see you again. Alice was there and she provided me with comfort. I needed to feel comforted." The blonde pleaded with the taller of the two.

"What all did you do?" Elphaba repeated as if she had never heard what Glinda had said.

Glinda knew there was no way to bypass this question. She had to answer it. "We almost slept together. But we didn't." Glinda held her breath as she waited for a response from her love.

"Almost? What stopped you?" It hurt Elphaba to ask these questions but she needed to know. If Glinda had stopped it because she realized it was wrong then there was still hope. If the other woman stopped it then Glinda would have slept with her otherwise. Glinda would have destroyed everything they had been working for.

"I couldn't go through with it. Every time she touched me I thought of you." Tears streamed down the blonde's face.

Elphaba listened to Glinda's response and felt a sting as Glinda said that Alice had touched her. She needed to make sure she was understanding all of this correctly.

"So you stopped it?" She asked for confirmation.

Glinda shuffled her feet nervously. She hadn't stopped it. Alice had been the one to do that. If she hadn't then Glinda would have gone all the way.

"Well not exactly." She stated and then quickly tried to recover. "But my reactions to the situation caused Alice to stop. I was crying."

The remaining hope that Elphaba had left had been dashed when Glinda said she hadn't put a stop to it. The green woman realized that Glinda would have had sex with that other woman if she hadn't been stopped. This realization changed everything.

"Glinda I just came to say that I was sorry about my actions earlier." Elphaba tried to remain calm but was failing miserably. "I can't stay though. Not while I feel betrayed." Elphaba looked down towards the ground. She was trying to control her anger at the whole situation.

"Elphie I would never betray you!" Glinda panicked. She was losing Elphaba all over again and this time it truly was her fault.

"You already did. I have to go." And with that Elphaba walked down the hall not daring a glance back towards Glinda.


	30. Chapter 29

**A/N: Sorry it's a little later than usual…I've been exhausted these past two days. Work is killing me. So now that I have apologized I give you chapter 29…enjoy!**

**Chapter 29**

It took a moment for Glinda to gather her senses. Elphaba was halfway down the corridor by now. She wasn't going to let the green girl go until she had done everything in her power to get her to stay.

"ELPIE!" Glinda yelled as she raced towards the receding figure of her love.

Elphaba heard Glinda call her name but continued on. She had heard all she needed to hear from the blonde. Nothing she said could change her mind.

"Elphie wait up!" Glinda yelled, as she got closer to Elphaba.

Elphaba heard the blonde nearer to her and so she picked up her pace. She wasn't willing to compromise anymore.

Glinda finally caught up to the green woman and tackled her from behind.

Elphaba's eyes opened in shock as she lost her balance and fell to the ground, the petite blonde woman falling on top of her.

"Glinda what the hell?" Elphaba angrily shouted into the floor tiles. Her face was being held down by her love.

"I am not letting you leave here Elphaba Thropp. Not until you hear me out!" Glinda angrily shouted as she flipped the woman underneath her over so they were face to face.

"There's nothing more to hear. You cheated on me." Elphaba tried to wiggle herself free from the weight of Glinda on top of her. For being as small as she was, Glinda sure had a lot of strength.

"We were broken up!" Glinda pinned the green woman's hands down.

"It was still wrong!" Elphaba yelled. Glinda had been right. They were technically broken up at the time.

"You don't think I know that? I regret my decision Elphie. I should never have let anything happen. I was vulnerable. I was hurting. You left me!" Glinda shook her head as the memory of almost giving herself to another woman entered her mind. She wasn't willing to let this get to her. Not now. She needed to stay strong and prove to Elphie that she was sorry.

"I had to leave you. It was for your own safety." Elphaba's voice cracked as she was reminded of being blackmailed by Leland. She was terrified at the time. She didn't know what else to do besides leave Glinda and Ella. It would be the only way to save them from the pain. She saw now that she caused more pain by leaving.

"You didn't have to leave! You were just taking the easy way out!" Glinda's guilt was put aside for one moment as she was reminded of what Elphaba had done earlier.

"I thought it was for the best. Leland knows things about me. Things that can get you and Ella hurt!" Elphaba tried to defend her earlier actions. The weight of Glinda on top of her was not making this any easier.

"What sort of things?" Glinda curiously asked.

"Don't try and change the subject. This isn't about Leland right now. This is about you and me. Or really you and Alice." Elphaba's voice turned angry at her last sentence.

"This has everything to do with Leland. I would have never kissed Alice had you not broken my heart! This is your fault not mine!" Glinda tightened her grip around Elphaba's wrists.

"Oh no you don't!" Elphaba fumed. "Do not blame this on me! I am not the one to almost fuck another girl! I would never hurt you like that!"

"Well I am just as guilty as you are! And you may not have run off and fucked another girl but you did a guy." Glinda flinched as she used language she had never used before.

Elphaba knew how much it took Glinda for those words to come from her mouth. She must really be angry. "What do you mean?" she was curious to what the blonde meant by her last statement.

"After you died I was left here all alone but did you ever think to come back to me? To tell me that you were alive? No! You ran off and had sex with my ex -fiancée!" Glinda looked into Elphaba's eyes.

"Don't you dare bring Fiyero into this! That was another lifetime ago. That has nothing to do with you cheating on me tonight. We weren't even together back when I 'died'." Elphaba stared into Glinda's eyes. There was an unspoken staring contest going on, neither one of them refused to blink. Blinking would show that the other was weak.

"I didn't cheat on you!" Glinda's eyes narrowed. "And this is no different than the Fiyero situation. You left me and then ran to him for emotional support. When you left me today I ran to Alice for emotional support. Same thing! So do not tell me you don't understand because you have pulled this one before!"

"I…" Elphaba tried to think of a quick come back but Glinda's words had left her speechless. A part of her knew that Glinda was correct in some way but this was totally different. Glinda and Elphaba hadn't been together before.

Glinda saw Elphaba's eyes ease up a little. They weren't as lethal to look in as they once were. She watched as Elphaba's protests withered away until her body finally went limp. It was no longer trying to get out from underneath Glinda. The green woman's eyes softened a little as she looked into blue eyes.

The green woman took a deep breath before saying something she should have said long ago.

"I'm sorry I left you for him. I never meant to hurt you." Elphaba apologized. Glinda knew all of the reasons Elphaba had left before, but she had never heard an apology for doing so until now. She didn't know that she needed one until the words were already out of the green woman's mouth.

"I never meant to hurt you either." Glinda used Elphaba's vulnerability at the moment to try and apologize herself. "I'm sorry."

Glinda stared into Elphaba's eyes begging for forgiveness. She knew that if Elphaba still didn't forgive her after this then there was probably no hope.

Elphaba stared into Glinda's intense eyes, the eyes that she fell in love with. She could hear the blonde begging for forgiveness although she spoke no words. It was all conveyed within her piercing blue eyes. It caused Elphaba to hate herself thinking she could ever be angry with such beautiful eyes.

"I don't know where to go from here." Elphaba honestly stated. She could see the love Glinda had for her but a part of her still felt betrayed.

"Neither do I." Glinda was glad that Elphaba was at least listening to her now.

"Can you get off of me? I promise not to run away this time?" Elphaba chuckled nervously.

Glinda looked down and noticed she was still straddling Elphaba's hips and had the green woman's arms pinned up above her head. She blushed as she extracted herself from Elphaba's body.

"Sorry." Glinda got back to her feet and held out a hand to help the green woman stand. Elphaba accepted the invitation and was soon back on her feet standing in front of her love.

"Glinda I don't know how we can get past this. I honestly don't. I love you. I do. But…" Elphaba hesitated for a moment. The moment was long enough for Glinda to panic. "But I feel betrayed still. I don't know if that's something I can get over. No matter how many times you apologize to me."

Glinda's panic was for a good reason. Elphaba was telling her that things would never be the same ever again. She was telling her that they possibly could never be together. She needed to convince Elphaba that she would never hurt her like that again.

"Elphie I know that no apologies can remedy my stupid mistake. I'm not asking for forgiveness. I feel that you have already granted me that." Glinda smiled trying to get her love to do the same. "I am sorry that you can't trust me though. I hope you are wrong and you can get over this."

"I hope I'm wrong too." Elphaba responded honestly. She did want to be able to trust the blonde but her mind was not allowing it at this time. It was hard enough believing that Glinda had truly not slept with Alice. All her trust was shot at the moment.

"So are you saying you are staying? That you are willing to try and start over?" Glinda asked hopeful.

"Oh Oz no! I would never want to start over! It would take us nearly five years to get back to where we were." Elphaba joked as she remembered their not so friendly start. Glinda chuckled as she too remembered how long it had taken them to admit their true feelings.

"Then where do we begin?" Glinda asked. She was hoping Elphaba would say right now. She wanted so badly to just wrap her arms around the green woman and prove to her how sorry she truly was. She was willing to spend the rest of her life proving it to her.

"I'd like to start as friends." Elphaba's response shattered any hope that Glinda had that they would be together that night. It was something though.

"Just friends?" Glinda tried to get more from the green woman.

"Two good friends." Elphaba smiled as a distant memory returned to her.

"Two best friends?" Glinda coaxed the girl into something more. She knew they couldn't return to lovers right away but they could be best friends. There was a fine line between best friends and lovers…

"Two best friends." Elphaba agreed and smiled at Glinda. She knew that she was still in love with the blonde but right now she was too hurt to be with her. She didn't trust Glinda enough to give her heart back to her. She needed to keep it to herself for a while and nurse it back to health. Then maybe once it was healed she would give it away.

"You know I'm not going to be able to do that for long." Glinda giggled. "I was never really good with self restraint."

"And that is why you have me to keep you in check." Elphaba smiled. Glinda was just being Glinda after all.

"Elphie do you ever think we can get back to the way things were?" Glinda asked optimistically.

Elphaba pondered this question for a little while before coming up with a response. "I think we can get close. Just give me some time. Okay?"

Glinda was at least pleased that Elphaba had said they could get back to the way things were now. She was willing to give Elphaba all the time she needed. In the meantime she would have to pull out all her flirtatious and seductive moves. How much longer could she resist the blonde anyways?

**XXX**

Glinda said a long goodbye to Elphaba and headed back in the direction of her room. Elphaba had decided that staying in guest quarters was better for right now. Glinda put up a protest but the green woman had eventually won. This was going to be a lot harder than she originally thought. Elphaba's restraint was remarkable.

"Alice?" Glinda called as she entered her bedroom. Alice was still asleep on her bed. She must sleep through everything.

"Alice?" Glinda called again as she nudged Alice's shoulder. She felt bad waking her friend up after all she had put her through. But if she ever hoped to make things right with Elphie she needed to get Alice back into clothes and out of her bed.

"What?" Alice mumbled still half asleep. It was almost two in the morning.

"You need to get up. I need to go to sleep." Glinda went over to her wardrobe and pulled a nightdress on. She was clothed again.

"Sleep with me." Alice said sleepily, unaware that her comment might seem inappropriate in the wrong context.

"I can't sleep with you in my bed. Please Alice, this is already difficult enough." Glinda came back over to her friend and handed her clothes back to her.

Alice sat up in bed still not fully awake but she accepted the clothes and began putting them on. Glinda blushed and turned her head to the side to allow Alice some privacy.

"What? Not like you haven't seen it all before." Alice joked, starting to wake up more.

"I'm sorry." Glinda apologized again. She didn't know why she felt the need to say she was sorry again. The two of them had already had this conversation last night. They were still going to remain friends.

"Glin it's okay. Really." Alice finished buttoning up her blouse and started pulling on her pants.

"I know. I still feel bad though." Glinda admitted and turned her attention back towards Alice. "I shouldn't have toyed with your feelings like that. I know how much you like me."

For once Alice couldn't disagree with the need for apology. Glinda had known of her little crush and used it to her advantage.

"Can we just forget about my little crush?" Alice asked. "I know that it's never going past where it went tonight."

"Yeah." Glinda agreed that forgetting about it was probably best for now. If she brought that subject up with Elphie it would only cause her to trust Glinda even less.

"So why am I being run off before the sun is even up? I thought you needed me to hold you?" Alice asked curiously as she reached for her socks and shoes.

"Um…" Glinda was nervous. She didn't want to admit the reason was because Elphaba had come back. She figured that Alice would figure out anyways and so telling her now was probably best. "Elphie came back. She saw us together." Glinda's face turned towards the ground.

Alice immediately stopped lacing up her shoe and her face blanched. "She what?!" she shrieked.

"Everything is okay now. Don't worry. I explained to her that we didn't have sex and she believed me. She is staying in the guest quarters for now." Glinda looked back up towards Alice's pale face.

Alice's face turned to anger. "So you can run back to her now that you don't need me." Alice got up and picked up her other shoe. She was too angry to put it on and so she just headed for the door.

"Alice! Stop that. We talked about this last night. You said that we could still be friends after this." Glinda tried to jog the brunette's memory of their earlier conversation.

"Well I didn't expect you to run back to _her_ the way she treated you!" Alice yelled as she tried to get the blonde to remember how upset she was earlier.

"Alice I love her! I can't just walk away!" Glinda tried to get Alice to understand.

"Yeah you leave the walking away for her to do." Alice opened the door to leave.

"Speaking of walking away…" Glinda trailed off. This caused Alice to turn around and look back at the blonde.

"Glinda I can't believe you. This woman broke your heart and you are willing to go back to her just like that. Don't you think that she will do this again if she saw that it was so easy the first time? You're better than her Glin! You don't deserve to be treated like that. You deserve someone better, someone that will love you unequivocally, someone who won't treat you like shit and then run back to you with apologies just so they can do it again." Alice waited for a response.

"You're saying that I deserve you." This all came back to Alice's crush and Glinda knew it.

"In a round about way, yes! Glinda we would be perfect together." Alice walked over to Glinda and placed the blonde's hands in her own. "You're everything that I want Glinda, everything that I need. I am willing to fight for you!" Alice looked into Glinda's eyes screaming silently, _"Pick me! Pick me!"_

"Alice I love you as a friend. That's all we can ever be." Glinda removed her hands from Alice's and watched as tears formed in her friend's eyes.

"She doesn't deserve you." Alice stated.

"That's for me to decide. Not you." Glinda knew she had just lost a friend. A friend who had just a couple of hours ago said this wouldn't affect their friendship. She had lied.

"I can't stand by and let this woman treat you like shit. Something has to be done." Alice narrowed her eyes at the blonde before storming out of the room.

"Great, just great. Another threat to add to the list." Glinda huffed and fell backwards onto the bed. She was exhausted.

It didn't take long for sleep to capture the blonde.


	31. Chapter 30

**A/N: Just wanted to say thanks to all the reviewers. You guys are awesome! Without further wait...here is Chapter 30...Enjoy!**

**Chapter 30**

"Come in." Tahj looked up from his desk as a knock occupied the air.

The door opened slowly to reveal Leland.

"Ah Master Toyik. Please take a seat." Tahj motioned to the chair in front of him and smiled.

Leland cautiously made his way over to wear the head of the guard sat. He wasn't exactly sure why Tahj was calling a meeting with him.

"Can I inquire to what this meeting is about sir?" Leland asked as he took a seat in front of the smug looking guard.

"I hear that you have been keeping valuable information from me." Tahj wasted no time in getting to the point.

Leland gulped. "Valuable information?" Sweat started to pour from the man's forehead as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Yes. I have also been informed of your blackmailing attempt. I do not take such an offense kindly." Tahj narrowed his eyes at the nervous man in front of him.

"Sir you don't understand. Iris isn't who she claims to be. She is responsible for the intruder almost gaining access to Glinda. She and him are intimate!" Leland tried to defend himself. He didn't care about blackmailing Elphaba anymore. All he cared about was keeping his job.

"I am well aware of her relationship to our prisoner." Tahj stated. Leland's eyes opened wide. "Miss Iris has done nothing wrong. If she says that she didn't help Fiyero gain access to the building then I believe her."

"She has done everything wrong!" Leland begged Tahj to see his side of the story.

"Master Toyik please calm yourself down before I have another guard escort you off the premises." Tahj was enjoying watching the man in front of him squirm a little too much.

"I'm sorry." Leland apologized and immediately settled down. "I must have misunderstood then. I am sorry. I thought Iris was a threat." Leland tried to make himself out to be the innocent bystander.

"Even if you were mistaken that does not change the fact that you help important information from me. What if she _were_ handing out important information? Your actions are grounds for dismissal!" Tahj yelled. He knew that something had to be done about Leland. The guard was too close to finding out the truth about Iris really being Elphaba. He hated losing one of his own but he had promised Glinda he would do everything in his power to keep her safe and happy. Getting rid of Leland was one way this would happen.

"Please sir!" Leland begged. "I don't have anywhere else to go! You can't fire me!"

"Well maybe you should have thought of that before you blackmailed an innocent woman! You caused a lot of problems around here. I have looked past your mistakes in the past but I can no longer turn a blind eye." Tahj was furious. How could this man in front of him really think that he had done nothing wrong?

"Please!" Leland continued to beg. "I promise I will do better. I will not harm Miss Glinda or Miss Iris ever again."

"You will not harm them again where you are going. You are dismissed Leland." Tahj waved his hand telling the other man to get out of his sight.

"You can't do that!" Leland was frantic. "I have put too many years into the service. No one will hire an ex-guard!"

"That is no longer my concern. Please clear yourself out and leave immediately. I don't ever want to hear from you again. And if you even think about getting revenge on Iris I will have the whole Gale Force guards sent after you!" Tahj stood up and walked over to the door. He opened it and motioned for Leland to leave. The guard was still frozen in his chair.

"Shall I have the guards remove you or are you willing to go gracefully?" Tahj mocked.

It took a few moments for Leland to gather his strength and move from the chair. Leaving Tahj's office meant the end. The end to everything he knew and loved.

"Don't let the door hit you on the way out." Tahj laughed and slammed the door once Leland had exited.

Tahj went back over to his desk and took a deep breath. He hoped he was doing this for the right reasons. He hoped that Elphaba was as good as Glinda believed she was. If any of this ever got out then Tahj would not only lose his job, but probably his life. He was putting a lot of faith in his blonde friend.

**XXX**

Leland walked slowly out the gates of the palace. It was the last time he would ever see the palace again. That thought nauseated the grown man. How could some stupid female get the best of him?

"Damn it!" Leland screamed furiously. He was angry at the world right now. He was angry at Tahj for firing him. He was angry at Iris for telling on him. He hadn't expected the woman to speak up as frightened as she was. He was wrong obviously.

Leland continued to kick at the ground as his speed picked up. He didn't know where he was going, nor did he care. He had nothing left to lose anymore. His job was his life and now that was gone.

"Leel?" A guard just outside the gates stopped him. He knew the guard as Master Denim.

Leland turned to face whoever had dared to speak his name at this time.

"What!" He shouted.

"What's the matter?" Master Denim was concerned. He had never seen his friend so furious before.

"Our boss has lost his fucking mind. That's what's the matter!" Leland seethed. His hands balled into fists.

"What'd he do?" Master Denim was curious to what could cause this sort of reaction.

"He fired me." Leland clenched his fists.

"Fired you?" The guard couldn't believe it. "Why would he do something like that?"

"Because he doesn't believe me. That woman Iris is bad news. Believe nothing she says." Leland couldn't answer any more questions. If he didn't get out of here fast he would seriously hurt someone.

Knowing that he had passed the torch to someone else, Leland left the palace with not another word to anyone.

Master Denim was left confused. What had Leland been talking about? Iris seemed to be the nicest woman he had ever met. He shrugged his shoulders and continued about his task. He was not willing to pursue this anymore seeing as how it already got one guard fired.

**XXX**

"Mommy," Glinda's three-year-old daughter whined. "I don't want a sister."

Glinda sighed. She had been trying to tell Ella for about ten minutes now that she was going to be a big sister. Ella didn't want any part of it however. She wanted to be the only child.

"Sweetheart this isn't something you can decide. Now you are going to have a little sister and that's the end of it." Glinda was frustrated. Elphaba was no help to her at the moment. The green woman just sat next to Glinda and stared off into oblivion.

"But I don't want one!" Ella yelled and stomped her foot down on the ground.

"Ella Rosalie Upland, this is no way to react. You should be happy for mommy and Elphaba." Glinda was growing angry with her daughter. She was hoping for a different sort of reaction when she told her daughter that Elphaba was pregnant.

"Your mother's right." Elphaba offered her two cents. It was the first time she had spoken since initially telling Ella that she was expecting a baby.

Ella sulked. She didn't want to have to share her mommy with another person. She was already sharing her with Elphaba.

"Thank you." Glinda mouthed to Elphaba who smiled in return. It had been two days since their agreement to return to friends and Glinda was sure making it difficult on the green woman. Every time Elphaba would turn away and turn back towards Glinda, the blonde always managed to strike a seductive pose.

"Ella sweetheart we aren't telling you this to upset you. We thought you would be happy for us. Think of all the fun stuff you can do with a little sister. You can teach her to swing. You can teach her to color. You can play dress up." Glinda tried to point out the upsides to having a sibling. Maybe if Ella heard all of this she would change her mind.

"Dress up?" Ella's eyes perked up and she stopped fidgeting. She loved playing dress up.

"Yep. Dress up." Glinda confirmed. "You could put her in all your old dresses and do her makeup for her. I bet she would look really pretty in your clothes."

"I can use makeup?" Ella's eyes rose even higher than they already were.

"You'd have to wait until she were older but yes you could. You two are going to have so much fun together." Glinda squealed in anticipation. She was just as excited about Ella having a sister as Ella now seemed.

"No daughter of mine will wear makeup before they are thirteen." Elphaba objected to the whole makeup idea.

"Oh come on Elphie. It'll be fun!" Glinda was like a little kid in a candy shop.

"I'm not sure who is more excited about dress up. You or Ella." Elphaba chuckled.

"Oh hush you." Glinda swatted playfully at Elphaba's arm. An action that would have been okay before but now since they had put up friend boundaries was a little over the line.

"Glin please." Elphaba recoiled.

"Sorry." Glinda apologized and looked back towards her daughter. She was unwilling to let the whole in her heart get any bigger.

"So are you okay with being a big sister now? Do you think you can do it?" Glinda put on her serious face.

"Yes!" Ella shook her head furiously. She was excited about the prospect of getting to play in her mommy's makeup.

"Good." Glinda smiled and turned back towards Elphie. "You may now proceed to have our baby. We have received permission from Ella."

"Mommy you're silly." Ella giggled.

"Well I should hope that I obtained permission to have this baby. Oz forbid you said no." Elphaba joked.

"You're silly too Elphie!" Ella continued to giggle and fell on the floor.

Glinda looked over towards Elphaba. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I'm thinking _exactly_ what you're thinking." Elphaba smiled back at Glinda.

It took two seconds for both Glinda and Elphaba to launch themselves from their chairs and instigate a tickle war with Ella.

"St…stop!" Ella yelled between giggles as her mother and Elphie found any open area to tickle.

"Hey Glin do you think we should stop?" Elphaba was amused.

"Not a chance." Glinda smiled back towards her love and the tickle war resumed.

Ella was too small to fight back and so she just had to lie there and endure the intense tickling. Her stomach began to hurt from laughing too much.

"I think she is tickled out." Elphaba laughed as she finally removed her hand from behind the little girls knee.

"But my hands are still in tickle mood." Glinda pouted as she too removed her hands.

Elphaba arched an eyebrow at Glinda's comment. "Tickle mood?" The green girl asked cautiously.

"Yup." Glinda nodded before her hands reached out and grabbed at Elphaba's side.

The green woman yelped as a hand clutched at her side. She brought her arms over to remove Glinda's hand but the blonde was too fast for her. She removed her hand and went over to Elphaba's other side.

Elphaba tried to control her laughter as Glinda attacked her with her hands. The blonde giggled too, although she wasn't being tickled at the time.

A couple of seconds passed before Elphaba gained enough strength to begin to fight back. She reached her free arm around and tickled the one spot behind Glinda's thigh that she knew drove her crazy.

The blonde stopped her tickle attempts as she tried to wiggle free from the green woman's hands. That's when she felt another pair of hands tickling her sides that were much smaller. Ella had rejoined the tickle war and was now siding with Elphie.

"Hey!" Glinda called out between laughs. "That's not fair! Two against one!"

Ella decided that she was getting bored without much completion anymore. Her mother was too easy of a target and so she turned her attention to the green woman next to her.

Elphaba was taken by surprise when her teammate suddenly ambushed her. She rolled over onto her side to avoid the little girl's hands. It was too late.

The three of them spent the next ten minutes tickling each other until they were all too tired to continue.

"Well that was fun." Glinda giggled as she fell back to the ground to rest her aching body for a little while. Her sides hurt from all the laughing.

"Fun indeed." Elphaba smiled and leaned herself back too.

Glinda took the opportunity of having Elphaba lying right next to her to look into the brown eyes that she had missed so much lately. Sure they were friends and all, but it wasn't the same. She never got the chance to lie next to those eyes and stare into them for hours on end.

Elphaba noticed the blonde staring at her and so she turned her head and was met with the most spectacular blue eyes she had ever seen. The green woman's breath hitched in her throat when she saw the love and devotion in those eyes.

Glinda moved forward to capture Elphaba's lips in her own. The rules of friendship be damned.

Elphaba's pulse intensified as Glinda inched herself closer to the green woman. Elphaba stared upon Glinda's lips wanting so desperately to kiss them, but not trusting herself enough at the moment to do so.

When Glinda was an inch away from the green woman's lips Elphaba apologetically turned her head. Glinda's lips were met with a soft green cheek instead of the lips she desperately wanted.

Elphaba felt Glinda kiss her cheek and she closed her eyes willing this touch to satisfy her craving. Saying no to Glinda was a lot harder than she initially thought. She still didn't trust the blonde enough to give her heart away. What if it got wounded again? Elphaba was already wounded enough.

Glinda let her lips linger a little longer on Elphaba's cheek than necessary. She was disappointed that it wasn't her love's lips, but at least it was something.

"Glin…" Elphaba whispered. It was hard for her to talk with the huge knot forming in her throat and stomach.

"I know." Glinda responded and made a move to get up from the floor. Ella was still lying a couple of feet away lost in her own world.

"Ready to take your nap now sweetie?" Glinda looked down to her exhausted daughter.

"Will you read to me?" Ella asked as she got up from the ground.

"Of course." Glinda took her daughter's hand and smiled.

"Can Elphie come too?" Ella looked back towards Elphaba's immobile figure.

"I think Elphie needs some time by herself." Glinda also looked towards Elphaba who had still not moved an inch since their almost kiss.

Glinda and Ella left the room without another word to the green woman.

**XXX**

Elphaba continued to lie on the floor staring up at the ceiling. The knot in her throat turned into tears as they spilled to the floor. So many emotions were conflicting right now. Her heart was telling her to let Glinda back in but her head was telling her that she needed time to heal. She couldn't deal with the fact that the last person to kiss Glinda wasn't her. Glinda's lips were tainted now. Tainted with the taste of another woman. Elphaba couldn't get past this no matter how much she wanted to.

She continued to stare at the ceiling as silent tears fell from her eyes.

**XXX**

It took Glinda nearly thirty minutes to put her daughter down for a nap. When she finished tucking her daughter in and reading to her, it took Ella a little longer to fall asleep than usual. She was still wound up from their tickle session earlier.

Glinda turned off the light and left the door cracked in case she woke up before the blonde could come back and get her. She turned down the corridor headed back to the last place she had left Elphie. She was sure that's where her green friend would be found.

**XXX**

"Elphie?" Glinda peeped into the room and saw Elphaba still lying on the ground. "Oh Elphie." Glinda sighed and made her way over to her love.

"We can't let that happen again." Elphaba wiped at the tears that stained her face. She was trying to get rid of the evidence that Glinda's actions had upset her so much.

Glinda reached the green woman in time to see how splotchy her face was. Elphaba had been crying. It broke Glinda's heart to think that she was probably the cause for this.

"I'm sorry. I over stepped my boundaries." Glinda apologized and held out a hand for Elphaba to take. Elphaba ignored her hand and got up on her own.

"Yes. You did." Elphaba stated. Glinda frowned. She thought they had been making progress but apparently not.

"Elphie how are we ever supposed to move forward if you keep me confined to these stupid rules?" Glinda asked frustrated.

"It's just too fast." Elphaba looked down to where she had been lying on the floor. "I can't. Not yet." She whispered.

"Well then when?" Glinda needed to know. She was getting antsy without Elphaba.

"Glin I can't tell you an exact date. If you're unwilling to wait around then tell me now." Elphaba looked up to meet Glinda's eyes.

"I'd wait forever. You know that." It hurt Glinda to think that Elphaba thought she would never wait around for her. She would be happy the rest of her life if all she did was wait for Elphie. It was better than no Elphie at all.

"I…I…" Elphaba stuttered over her words. "I don't know what I'm doing."

"What do you mean?" Glinda looked into Elphaba's eyes encouraging her to explain.

"I don't know how to act Glin. My body is telling me one thing but my head and heart are telling me another. My heart agrees with my body but I don't know if I am willing to trust that right now. It has a gaping whole in it that is unrepairable." Elphaba was unaware of what she had just said. The words just seemed to come out.

"Unrepairable?" Glinda meekly asked if she understood correctly.

"I…I don't know." Elphaba was frustrated with herself. She couldn't figure this all out. She began to pace around the room. "I want you Glinda. I do. You can't begin to imagine how bad I really just want to forget what all happened and give myself to you. I am just afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Glinda asked.

"Afraid that you will hurt me again." Elphaba stopped her pacing and turned to face Glinda. "Glinda, you broke my heart. I don't know how long it will take to repair it."

Glinda's eyes began to water. She never wanted to break Elphaba's heart for any reason. She didn't want to fight with Elphaba anymore and so she didn't bring up the 'you broke my heart first' comment. She just stood still while Elphaba explained how much she had been hurt.

"Every time I think of kissing you I think of you kissing Alice. Everything I smell your perfume I am reminded of someone else enjoying your fragrance. Every time I want to hold your hand I am reminded of how your hands grazed another woman's body. Everything about you reminds me of what you did." Elphaba needed to get the truth out there. She wasn't aware of how much this truly hurt Glinda.

"Do you think that you will ever look at me and see just me? Just plain ole Glinda?" Glinda's voice cracked with emotion.

"Honesty I don't know." Elphaba responded. It wasn't the response Glinda had been looking for.

"I love you and only you Elphie." Glinda tried to convince the green woman that she would be the only woman for her for the rest of eternity.

"I can't seem to comprehend that at this point." Elphaba was angry with herself. She wanted to go over and comfort her love. She wanted to shield her from whatever hurt she felt.

"I can say that I love you unconditionally because I do. No matter what, I will always love you with all my heart and soul." Elphaba really did love Glinda with all her being. She just couldn't seem to understand that Glinda felt the same way.

"I love you too Elphaba. With all that I am." Glinda countered. She wasn't going to let the green woman have the last word.

"Back to square one." Elphaba declared.


	32. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

A couple of weeks passed and nothing really changed around the palace. Glinda and Elphaba held strong to their rules of friendship ever since the day of their almost kiss. Tahj had not heard a word from Leland since his dismissal. Alice was hardly seen anymore. And Fiyero's trial was finally set in place to occur two weeks from tomorrow. It seemed as if everything was calming down and returning to normal.

"Mom," Ella asked her mother one dreary afternoon. "How come Elphie doesn't see me anymore."

Glinda stood next to her daughter who was looking out the window at the gray sky. She looked out into the rain as she carefully answered her daughter's question. This question didn't surprise her that much. It was bound to come up eventually. Elphaba had been spending far less time with the two of them lately.

"Mommy made Elphie very angry with her. It's hard for her to hang around me too long. It's nothing you did sweetheart." Glinda placed her hand on her daughter's back in a comforting gesture.

"I miss her." Ella frowned. Everything about this particular day seemed to bring the child's mood down: the rain, the absence of Elphaba, her mother's mood, everything.

"I do too." Glinda agreed with her daughter and continued to watch the rain pour. Rain that she once thought would burn her love's skin long ago. The distant memory made Glinda sigh. She missed how things used to be. She missed Elphie.

"Can we go out tonight?" Ella asked her mother hopeful. The rain didn't look as though it would last much longer.

"I don't think that I can go out tonight. I have some work stuff to attend to. If you really want to go out I'm sure your nanny will take you." Glinda didn't really have stuff to attend to. She just needed some time to herself. She was feeling the affects of the dreary day just as Ella was.

"Oh." Ella's voice dropped. "I want to go out." She frowned.

"I'll tell your nanny. I'm sorry sweetheart, I just can't go out tonight." Glinda felt bad for lying to her daughter. She couldn't be bothered with other responsibilities at the moment.

"Okay." Ella agreed.

The two of them sat staring out the window a little longer until they heard a shuffling of feet behind them.

"I thought I'd find you both here." The newcomer greeted the two Uplands.

"Elphie." Glinda smiled as she turned her head to greet the green woman.

"Hey." Elphaba waved to the two Upland women staring at her.

Ella was the first to walk over to meet the green woman. She was talking a mile a minute.

"Guess what! Guess what! I'm going to town!" The little girl bounced eagerly.

Elphaba smiled down at Ella. "That's good. So you and your mom are going out tonight?"

Ella's excitement was brought down a notch. "No. Mommy won't go."

Elphaba looked up to meet her love's beautiful eyes. "Why aren't you going with her Glin?" she asked.

Glinda looked back towards the glass avoiding Elphaba's gaze. She wasn't in the mood for games. She knew that if she stared at Elphie then she would trick herself into believing everything was all right. She was too tired of all the games.

"I have work to do." The blonde stared out to the desolate palace grounds.

Elphaba felt a mood shift in her love immediately. Glinda was not her normal perky self. The green woman became concerned.

"Hey Ella can you do me a favor?" Elphaba looked down towards Glinda's daughter. "Can you go in my room and bring me my book that's on my nightstand?"

Ella was eager to help Elphaba locate her book. "Okay!" she ran off in the direction of Elphaba's room.

The blonde was left staring out the window while Elphaba looked at her slumped over form.

"What's wrong Glinda?" Elphaba walked over to where Glinda stood.

Glinda took a deep breath before turning around to meet the woman she loved. She wanted Elphaba to gather her up into a hug and tell her everything was all right. She was feeling depressed and she didn't know why.

"I'm so tired." Glinda brought her hands up to her hair. They both grabbed a section and held it there for a little bit while Glinda tried to center herself. She was feeling a rush of emotions that came out of nowhere.

"Why don't you take a nap then?" Elphaba offered the most logical solution to the problem.

Glinda shook her head and closed her eyes. "That's not what I meant." She sighed. "I just feel so tired of everything." Glinda was losing her grip on the whole situation.

Elphaba didn't understand where all of this was coming from but she knew that she needed to calm Glinda down.

"Glin sweetheart what's wrong? What happened to trigger this?" Elphaba walked over and took Glinda's hand in her own.

At the smallest contact Glinda began to cry. She wasn't sure what changed so dramatically to cause her to suddenly burst into tears.

Elphaba noticed the blonde girl crying and instinctively gathered her love in her arms and held her while she cried. Elphaba couldn't understand why Glinda was feeling so down.

"Shh…it's okay. Cry it all out." Elphaba comforted her love; an action which caused the blonde to cry even more.

It took about ten minutes for Glinda to finally calm down enough to talk to Elphaba. The green woman moved Glinda from her chest but still held onto her arms protectively.

"I'm sorry Elphie." Glinda sniffled. "I don't know what came over me."

"It's okay." Elphaba nodded her head in understanding. "How about we take a walk and you tell me all about it?"

Glinda weakly nodded her head up and down to confirm that that was a good plan.

Elphaba went and told Ella's nanny the game plan while Glinda spent a few minutes trying to come up with an explanation to her earlier actions.

After ten minutes Elphaba returned with one umbrella.

"Don't I get my own?" Glinda tried to joke with the green woman as she opened the door to outside.

"We can share." Elphaba laughed. "Unless you are afraid to be too close to me."

"I like sharing." Glinda smiled and ducked under the umbrella while Elphaba wrapped an arm around the blonde's waist.

"So what exactly happened back there?" Elphaba asked once they were a good three hundred feet from the exterior of the palace.

Glinda heavily sighed before speaking. "I don't know Elphie. This whole situation is hard to deal with. I miss you so much."

Elphaba heard the blonde's response and instantly felt guilty. She was the reason the blonde had burst into tears.

"I miss you too Glin." Elphaba agreed and continued to walk away from the palace.

"I don't understand." Glinda stopped walking which caught then green woman off guard. "If you miss me and I miss you then why can't we be together?"

Glinda looked into Elphaba's eyes begging for her to take her back.

"You know why." Elphaba stared back into Glinda's blue eyes. "I can't trust that you won't do this again given the opportunity." It hurt the green woman to speak the truth.

"I won't. I love you too much to make that mistake again!" Glinda pleaded. "I have already apologized a million times Elphie. What more can I do?"

"I'm not asking for your apology. Trust has to be built again, on both sides." Elphaba hated seeing her love so distraught.

"I trust you! Why can't you trust me?" Glinda began to cry once again. She hated this whole situation with Elphaba. Why couldn't she just forgive her and they move on?

"Trust isn't an easy thing for me." Elphaba stopped as the two reached a gazebo. She stepped inside and brought the umbrella down. That's when she noticed Glinda had not followed and was still standing in the rain.

"Glinda don't be ridiculous. Get in here before you catch a cold." Elphaba chastised the now soaked blonde.

Glinda stood frozen outside of the dry gazebo. Her tears were mixing with the rain now and it was hard to distinguish which was which.

"Glinda." Elphaba said her name once again. When the blonde still didn't move Elphaba raised the umbrella and went back out to cover her love.

"What are we doing?" Glinda asked when Elphaba reached her once again with the umbrella.

"What do you mean?" Elphaba tried to grab Glinda's wet wrist to pull her into the safety of the gazebo. Glinda didn't budge.

"If you can't trust me then what are we doing?" Glinda stated. "You will never learn to trust me if you keep avoiding me as you have."

Elphaba sighed. "I have to avoid you. It's too hard to be around you if I don't."

"Why are you fighting this?" Glinda asked.

Elphaba actually had to take a step back and think about Glinda's question carefully. Why was she fighting this? She loved Glinda with her heart and soul. She had forgiven the blonde for her actions. Why couldn't she just let this go?

"I…I don't know." Elphaba truthfully responded.

Glinda wasn't pleased with Elphaba's answer. She needed something more concrete than an, 'I don't know' response.

"Elphie I love you. I will continue to love you until the day that I die but I can't do this just friends thing anymore. It is unfair to me and unfair to Ella. Either you choose us or you choose to leave." Glinda gave Elphaba an ultimatum. She was tired of waiting around for the green woman to come to her senses. It had been almost three weeks and still nothing had happened between the two.

Glinda had done everything in her power to win back Elphaba's heart. She had worn seductive clothing, she had tried to cook for Elphaba, she had pulled out all of her flirtatious moves and nothing had happened. She even went so far as to throw rose petals on her bed one night and have Elphaba 'accidentally' walk in. Nothing caught the woman's attention.

"You're making me choose?" Elphaba stared dumbstruck at the blonde. This was too fast. She hadn't given her heart enough time to heal. She couldn't make such an important decision under pressure.

"Yes. Either you choose me or you leave. I can't deal with having you around and not being able to be with you. It just hurts too much." Glinda prayed to the unnamed Oz that Elphaba would choose her.

"I can't make this decision under pressure." Elphaba shook her head. This was too much for the green woman to handle. "Please don't make me decide."

"Well I am making you." Glinda wasn't budging. She knew persistence was the key here.

"What if you don't like the answer." Elphaba spoke.

Glinda's eyes widened. Was Elphie telling her that she didn't choose her?

"I can't stand not knowing." Glinda tried to calm herself down. She was probably overeating for the wrong reasons.

"I ask you to reconsider." Elphaba stared into the eyes she loved pleading for more time. She hadn't decided anything yet.

"No." Glinda stood her ground.

"I…I can't be with you." Elphaba let out a breath she had been holding. "Not yet. It's too soon." She shook her head.

Glinda's tears picked up. Elphaba couldn't be with her.

"Go." Glinda choked out between sobs.

"I'm sorry?" Elphaba asked. There was silence for a while. The only noise that occupied to air was the pitter-patter of the rain falling against the umbrella.

"GO!" Glinda yelled with a little more force and brought her hand up to point towards the palace exit.

"Glinda please don't do this. Just give me more time!" Elphaba pleaded.

"I have given you all the time I can Elphie. Now go!" Glinda's hand shook furiously.

"What about our child? Glinda please don't do this!" Elphaba begged.

Glinda's pulse rate quickened. "Do you want me or not?" her voice shook with anger.

"I do! I just can't. Not now." Tears formed in Elphaba's own eyes. "I love you Glinda."

"If you loved me you would have chosen me." Glinda cried. "Please don't make this any harder on me or Ella."

"Is this really what you want?" Tears spilled from the green woman's eyes.

"No." Glinda stated. "I want you to forgive me. I want you to come back to me. I want us to be lovers, not friends."

"We can be that Glin." Elphaba tried to convince Glinda that all she needed was time. Time to heal.

"I can't put myself on hold while you sort through your shit." Glinda stated. She didn't want to see Elphaba go, but she knew that having her stay was only going to hurt her more.

"If I go will you take me back?" Elphaba needed to know that if she stepped out those gates that it wouldn't be for the last time.

"Take you back?!" Glinda was furious. "You have the audacity to ask me to take YOU back when you can't even take ME back?"

"Glinda you have no idea how hard this is for me!" Elphaba yelled back.

"I think I do! Do you think its easy for me to tell you to leave? It's not!" Glinda yelled. The two women's sorrow was slowly turning into anger.

"Like hell it is. You seem to be doing a great job at it!" Elphaba's hand shook the umbrella that was shielding them both.

"Oh shut up Elphie! I'm sick of listening to all of your excuses. You are not the only one here trying to mend a broken heart. Or did you forget when you yelled at me in front of all of my friends and dumped me?" Glinda's eyes narrowed at the woman towering over her.

"That was for your own good!" Elphaba defended her actions. "And do not tell me to shut up! I will speak as freely as I want!"

"My own good?! HA! What good did that ever do? And I will tell whoever the hell I want to to shut up!" Glinda inched herself closer to the taller woman trying to intimidate her.

"It wasn't meant to hurt you! You are just twisting this to fit your needs! I never knew you could be so conniving!" Elphaba too inched herself closer and stared down towards Glinda.

"And me almost sleeping with Alice was never meant to hurt you! I didn't do that to hurt you! I did that because I was the one hurt. And you are one to speak Miss Elphaba. You go around Oz prancing as this goody two shoes named Iris! If people knew how manipulative you really were…" Glinda was cut off.

"Manipulative? Lying to all of Oz to keep you and myself safe is not manipulative! It's a requirement! So don't you get on your high throne and tell me you are any better than I am!" Elphaba's eyes narrowed. "You are pathetic Glinda."

"Pathetic?" Glinda scoffed. "You're one to speak! You can't even make your fucking mind up about what you want or not. At least I can make a decision!"

"I know what I want!" Elphaba yelled down at the blonde. She had never been angrier with anyone in her whole entire existence. Even the Wizard had never made her this angry.

"Well then what the fuck is it!?" Glinda yelled. She too found herself angrier than she had ever been before. She didn't care that she was cursing up a storm.

"You Oz damn it! I want YOU!" Elphaba yelled. And before the blonde could comprehend the words Elphaba reached down and captured Glinda's lips in her own.

All protests and angry emotions died down as Elphaba passionately kissed Glinda. She let the umbrella fall from her hands as she reached up to cup Glinda's cheeks in her hands.

Their kiss was not one of love or playfulness. It was one of pure desire; desire that had been building up for the past couple of weeks, accumulating into this one kiss.

Glinda moaned noisily as Elphaba's tongue entered her mouth with such force she thought her lips would bruise.

The blonde forgot what the two of them had been arguing about as she tried to keep up with Elphaba's rapid movements against her lips.

The green woman felt Glinda trying to keep up and so she slowed down the pace a little so Glinda could catch back up. It didn't take long for the blonde to overpower Elphaba.

Elphaba and Glinda were being pelted with water as they stood kissing in the rain. Elphaba was the first to notice this and so she slowly pulled Glinda back in the direction of the gazebo.

Glinda allowed herself to be dragged from the rain and was soon in the dry expanse of the gazebo.

The green woman continued to lead Glinda away from the gazebo entrance and towards the bench that was in the middle. She didn't care that the gazebo was open and everyone could see in. She needed Glinda, and she needed her right now. There was no time to go back up to their room.

Glinda smiled against Elphaba's lips as she felt the green woman lay her down on the hard bench and mount her. She made a mental note to add cushioning to the benches from now on.

It didn't take long for Elphaba's hands to begin wandering over Glinda's porcelain skin; skin she had longed to touch for the past three weeks.

Elphaba broke lip contact finally as she trailed a string of kisses down the blonde's throat and towards her chest.

"Elphie." Glinda sighed happily as Elphaba began flicking her tongue against the base of Glinda's shoulder blade directly above her chest.

The two women spent the next two hours in the gazebo reconnecting in ways they hadn't known possible. All past offenses and arguments were put on hold in those two hours as Elphaba showed Glinda how much she really loved her.

**A/N: Question is…will Elphaba regret this moment of passion later or not?? Gwah ha ha. I'd also like to give a quick shout out to DarkwolfKnight (I put the rose petals strewn across the bed…are you happy now? Lol) Until next time…**


	33. Chapter 32

**A/N: Sorry this chapter is really short. I was thinking about holding off and adding more to it before I posted…but seeing as how I didn't want to keep you guys waiting…I decided a little chapter was better than no chapter at all. The next chapter should be longer. **

**Chapter 32**

"What are you thinking about my love?" Glinda asked the green woman who held onto the blonde tightly.

Elphaba was lying with her back propped up on the bench in the gazebo with Glinda wrapped in her arms. The rain had stopped and the sun began to shine once again.

"How much I love you." Elphaba smiled and kissed the top of Glinda's blonde curls.

Glinda sighed happily as her head rested on Elphaba's chest. She had longed for this for so long and now it seemed as if all her dreams had come true. She and Elphaba had just spent two amazing hours making love to one another in the pouring rain.

"I love you too Elphie." Glinda murmured against Elphaba's chest. The vibration from her words caused the green woman to laugh.

"Can we fight more often if this is how we make up?" Glinda joked. She moved her head from its place of comfort and looked up into Elphaba's brown eyes.

"I never want to fight with you ever again." Elphaba tightened her arms around her love. "But we can _pretend_ to fight…." She smiled.

"Mmm…pretend fights. Those sound a lot better." Glinda dropped her head down and nuzzled it back into her green protector's chest.

The two women remained silent for a couple of minutes before Glinda finally spoke.

"Elphie…I need to know…" Glinda nervously started.

"What is it my sweet?" Elphaba placed another reassuring kiss on top of the blonde woman's head.

Glinda sighed before continuing. "You did this because you wanted to, right? I didn't force you into it?" She needed to know that what they had done was for the right reason.

Elphaba's brow furrowed as she contemplated the question. She too had been thinking about whether or not she made love to Glinda for the right reasons. A couple of seconds passed before she came up with the perfect answer.

"If you are asking if I regret making love to you then the answer is no. I could never regret that. I love you Glinda Upland. I never want to make love to another woman in my entire life. And as for did I want it? Of course I did. I was the one who kissed you, remember?" Elphaba smiled. "I'm not going to lie to you though. I still have my doubts about trusting you completely. That doesn't mean that I didn't want this though."

Glinda was satisfied with the answer she received. Elphaba didn't regret her decision one bit. She still had to prove to her love that she could be trusted though.

"Does this mean that we are no longer on friend rules?" Glinda asked hopeful. She knew that Elphie wasn't upset about her decision to make love to her, but she didn't know the green woman's stand point on the subject of friendship or something more.

"Seeing as how I cannot resist you…" Elphaba smiled. "The friend rules have been lifted."

Glinda nearly bounced her way off of Elphaba's chest with excitement.

"Oh Elphie, I love you so much!" Glinda squealed as Elphaba tried to hold the blonde still.

"And I love you. I realized that staying friends was not going to help me get past this trust issue. Only time will heal that wound. And I am not willing to sacrifice anymore time lost with you." Elphaba smiled.

"I missed you while you were gone." Glinda sighed and breathed in the scent of Elphaba's cinnamon and ginger scented soap.

"I missed you too." Elphaba hugged the blonde.

The two women remained stationed on the bench in the gazebo until responsibilities finally took over.

"I should probably make sure Ella is all right." Glinda chuckled as she removed herself from her lovers embrace.

"Um…Glinda…Ella isn't here. She went out with her nanny a couple of hours ago. Remember?" Elphaba tried to remind the woman where her daughter was.

"Oh yeah." Glinda frowned.

"What is it my sweet?" Elphaba stood up from the bench and took Glinda's hand in her own.

"I'm sorry. I have just been all out of sorts for the past couple of weeks. I should have remembered something as simple as where my own daughter was." Glinda felt like a bad mother for letting Ella go to town with her nanny when she was perfectly capable of taking her herself.

"Don't feel bad Glinda. Ella understands you can't always be there for her twenty-four hours of the day." Elphaba tried to comfort her love. The two started walking back towards the palace entrance.

"I know." Glinda sighed. "It doesn't make me feel any less of a bad parent though."

"You are an amazing mother Glinda. And you will be an even greater mother once little Elphie gets here." Elphaba smiled.

Glinda smiled as she was reminded of the nickname they had given their child.

"You know Elphie, we really should come up with a name soon. I mean you are about two months pregnant. We only have seven months left!" Glinda started to panic a little.

Elphaba laughed at the frazzled look on her love's face. "Glinda, seven months is an awfully long time."

"No it's not! We still have so much to do! I threw out all of Ella's old baby stuff because I thought I would never have another child. We need to go buy a crib, a changing table, diapers…" Glinda started naming off all of the things the two new mommies would require.

"And we will get all of those eventually." Elphaba smiled and put a hand up to Glinda's mouth to stop any protests.

Once the green woman saw that the blonde had calmed down enough she removed her hand.

"What would I do without you?" Glinda sighed happily.

"Probably buy about twelve cribs, twenty changing tables…." Elphaba started to joke with her love.

"You hush." Glinda reprimanded the green woman for poking fun at her.

When it seemed like Elphaba was about to continue in her list, Glinda brought her lips to the green girl's to silence any further comments.

As the two broke apart they both noticed that they had arrived back at the doors to the palace.

"After you." Elphaba opened the door for her love to walk in.

"How gentlemanly of you." Glinda teased her love as she entered back into the palace.

Once inside Elphaba was quick to take the blonde's hand back in her own and hold onto it while they walked towards the kitchen. It was getting around dinnertime and the both of them were famished. They had used up all of their energy in the past two hours.

**XXX**

A couple of feet outside of the kitchen the pair ran into an unwelcome visitor.

"Alice." Glinda was startled to see her ex-best friend walking around the palace. She had hardly seen her since their incident. "What a nice surprise." Glinda lied.

Alice looked down and saw their hands intertwined. She raised her head back up in disgust. How could Glinda get back together with someone who hurt her so badly?

"I do work here Miss Glinda." Alice looked away from the happy couple. She couldn't bear to see Glinda so happy with another woman. If only things had worked out between them it would be her linking hands with the blonde instead of this new woman.

"So it's back to formalities then?" Glinda hated how Alice couldn't even look at her.

The blonde noticed Elphaba tense up next to her and so she squeezed her hand in reassurance.

"Don't make this any harder than it already is." Alice stated. She then turned her attention to the woman she knew as Iris. "You don't deserve her."

Elphaba's voice caught in her throat. So many times had she thought to herself that she didn't deserve someone as good as Glinda. Now Alice was bringing the green woman's own thoughts to the surface.

"She does." Glinda interjected before Elphaba could speak. She didn't want a fight to ensue.

"Can I talk to you?" Alice looked back towards Glinda. "Privately?"

Glinda bit her bottom lip. She didn't know what to do. She didn't want to lose Alice as a friend completely but she also didn't want to hurt Elphaba. How could Elphaba trust the blonde with her running off to talk with Alice?

"Err…" The blonde tried looking towards Elphaba for an answer. The green woman was no help. Her face was expressionless. "Is it that important?"

"Yes." Alice was annoyed. Why couldn't Glinda just come and talk to her. She shouldn't be afraid of what this woman next to her would think.

"Elphie?" Glinda looked up into her loves eyes asking for permission.

The green woman's jaw locked. She didn't like Alice in the least. In her eyes Alice was the reason for Glinda's corruption. Alice was the one who almost slept with her love. Alice was the predator and not the victim.

"I'm not going to tell you what to do." Elphaba stated. She didn't want Glinda mad at her for either decision she would make.

Glinda felt torn. She knew that Elphaba was having trust issues at the moment, but she also knew Alice needed to talk to her about something important.

"Okay." Glinda finally agreed to Alice's offer. "Let's just go to my office. I don't want to stray too far."

Elphaba immediately regretted not telling Glinda to stay with her. She didn't trust her and Alice enough to be alone in the same room together. She had never thought that Glinda would have chosen Alice over her. The blonde knew how much this would affect her. Didn't she?

"Your office sounds perfect." Alice agreed. She had a smug expression on her face that irked Elphaba. It was almost as if the brunette was taunting her.

"Go right ahead. I'll be there in a couple of minutes." Glinda smiled as Alice walked away towards her office.

Once Alice was out of sight Glinda turned back towards Elphaba and took her other hand within hers.

"Elphie I need you to trust me. I am going to have a conversation with Alice and that is all. Nothing is going to happen." Glinda searched the green woman's eyes for understanding.

"Just go." Elphaba huffed. She hated how the situation was but she knew her love was right on some level. She did need to start trusting her. How could she start if she kept shielding her from everything?

"I love you and I will be back as soon as I can." Glinda gave the green woman a lingering kiss on the lips before disappearing down the hall.

Once Glinda was out of sight Elphaba let out a breath she was unaware she had been holding.

She needed to trust the blonde and she needed to start right now.

Gathering what sanity she had left, she entered the kitchen to tell the cook to start dinner for the two of them.


	34. Chapter 33

**A/N: For all you reviewers who requested a break from all the angst…here you go. But just for this one chapter only…then I am back to being my evil manipulative self. Haha.**

**Chapter 33**

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Glinda entered her office to find Alice leaning against her bookshelf.

Alice noticed the blonde enter the room and immediately tried to compose herself.

"I think you know what." Alice stated before walking over to where Glinda stood.

Glinda sighed. She was hoping that Alice needed to talk business with her. She was hoping anything besides talking about her love.

"Alice what is there to say? I'm happy. You should be happy for me." Glinda wished things could go back to the way they used to be.

"Glinda I don't think that Iris is the one for you. This isn't about you moving on. This is about you going back to _her._" Alice stressed her last word. "I would be happy if you had found someone else. I am not happy that you are back with Iris."

"Alice what is so wrong with _her?_ You don't even know Iris." Glinda became defensive.

"Glinda are you so blind that you have forgotten what she did to you? She verbally abused you in front of everyone! She dumped you without a reason and now you are willing to take her back so easily? Tell me what has she done to deserve you?" Alice needed to know what Iris had that she didn't.

"She forgave me." Glinda stated. "She isn't the one who messed up Alice. I did. We both did."

"Don't blame this on my Glinda. You are the one who came onto me. I stopped it before it got too far." Alice defended her actions.

"I am not blaming this on you. I am not blaming this on anyone. We both messed up. That's all I'm going to say about that. Iris was kind enough to look past our little screw up and see how sorry I was." Glinda walked over towards her desk and took a seat. She knew they would be here a while.

"Why should you have to apologize? _She _was the one to screw up. Not you!" Alice followed the blonde and sat in the seat across from her.

"It was a misunderstanding Alice. She only did what she did because she had too. Iris never meant to hurt me." Glinda sighed. She hated having to explain this to everyone.

"Even if she never meant to hurt you, it doesn't change the fact that she did." Alice pointed out the obvious.

The two women were silent for a couple of seconds before Alice continued.

"Glinda I don't want to lose you. And I am not talking about romantically, I'm talking about as friends. These past few weeks haven't been the easiest on me. I've missed you." The brunette looked into Glinda's blue eyes seeking forgiveness.

"I never wanted to lose you as a friend either." Glinda smiled. "But I don't know how we can be friends when all you do is talk bad about Iris. I love her and I am not going to leave her. You can't change my mind about that."

The brunette sighed. It was obvious that the two of them were at a stand still. She was unwilling to allow Glinda to happily go along with whatever Iris did. She also knew that the blonde was unwilling to budge on the subject of Iris.

"I don't like her." Alice crossed her arms across her chest.

"I'm not asking you to." Glinda knew she couldn't change Alice's opinion about Elphaba. "I'm just asking you to not let your feelings towards Iris get in the way of our friendship. If you can try that then I can try and get past the fact that you don't like her. I know that not everyone is going to like her, but that shouldn't stop them from being my friend."

"I still don't think that she is good enough for you." Alice pouted.

Glinda chuckled a little at Alice's pout. "Alice no one will ever be good enough for me in your eyes."

"True." Alice agreed. "If I agree to not let my emotions get in the way, do you think you can accept my apology and we can start over?"

Glinda was surprised by Alice's apology. She had thought that the brunette was unwilling to take part in Glinda's life anymore because Elphaba was now a part of it. Her surprise didn't show on her face however.

"Of course I accept your apology. I never wanted to lose you as a friend. You are one of the only people around here that I can trust." Glinda's smile was sincere.

"Friends again?" Alice smiled.

"Friends again." Glinda confirmed.

**XXX**

"Where the hell are you Glinda?" Elphaba paced around the kitchen. She was becoming increasingly frustrated with every minute that passed. Glinda had said she would only be gone a couple of minutes. A couple of minutes were up thirty minutes ago.

The green woman continued to pace for a couple more minutes before Glinda finally walked back into the room.

"Elphie sweetheart you're digging a hole in the floor." Glinda noticed the green woman pacing back in forth in the same little area.

At the sound of her name the green woman looked up and smiled.

"I missed you." Elphaba went over and gathered her love up in her arms.

"I was only gone thirty minutes Elphie." Glinda gasped for air as the green woman tightened her grip.

Elphaba heard Glinda's breathless voice and decided that letting her go might be the best option.

"Sorry." Elphaba blushed as she removed herself from Glinda's arms. "I guess I got a little carried away."

"A little?" The blonde teased her love.

"To quote a wonderful blonde I know, 'you hush'." Elphaba smiled down at the love.

Glinda was about to tell Elphaba to hush when she caught herself and burst out laughing. The green woman was amused by this sudden change in Glinda's mood.

"What's so amusing?" Elphaba chuckled as she took Glinda by the hand and led her over to the table where their food awaited them.

"You know me too well." Glinda smiled before taking a bite of the spaghetti dish in front of her.

"Mmm." The blonde voiced her approval of the food. "I didn't realize how hungry I actually was."

"Well we did burn off all our calorie intake for today…and yesterday." The green woman joked as she too enjoyed some of her pasta.

"So what did Alice need to talk to you about?" Elphaba tried to bring it up casually. She didn't want Glinda knowing that that was the only thing on her mind at the moment.

The blonde woman smiled at this comment. She knew that Elphie was dying to know but would be too worried to just blurt it out the first thing she saw her.

"She wanted to apologize for her actions lately. She asked if we could still be friends. She also said that she is willing to try and get to know you." Glinda smiled across the table.

"Why would she want to get to know me? She hates me." Elphaba pointed out.

"She is willing to try for me. I told her that we could still be friends. I hope that is okay with you." Glinda forgot to even ask if remaining friends with Alice was okay with Elphaba.

"I'm not going to lie and say that I think it is a fabulous idea…but I'm also not going to be the reason you and Alice are no longer friends. I trust you enough to know what is appropriate with her and what isn't. Or at least I am trying." Elphaba admitted. She was still having problems with trust but knew she could never get past these unless Glinda proved to the green woman that she was indeed trustworthy.

Glinda got up from her seat and walked over towards the green woman before placing a soft kiss of her lips.

"Thank you my love." Glinda smiled before returning to her seat to finish her dinner.

The two women spent the rest of dinner talking casually, laughing at jokes, and Glinda told stories about Ella's earlier years. It was as if nothing had even happened between the two.

**XXX**

As the two women finished their dinner they noted the time.

"Eight o'clock. Ella's bedtime is soon so they should be coming back anytime now." Glinda watched the clock on the wall.

"Glinda I have something really important to ask you." Elphaba shifted nervously in her seat.

"What is it my love?" Glinda got up from her seat and walked over to where Elphie sat.

The green woman patted her legs and Glinda sat. The green woman then wrapped her arms protectively around her love before staring into her piercing blue eyes.

"It concerns Ella…" Elphaba trailed off. She wanted to ask the blonde before the girl in question came back from her shopping trip.

"Yeah…" Glinda urged the green woman whose lap she sat on to continue.

Elphaba took another breath before speaking. "I want to adopt her." There. It was out. What she had wanted to ask for the longest time was finally out there. She had always meant on keeping her promise to Glinda. That promise was helping raise Glinda's child with her.

Glinda's eyes widened in surprise. "Adopt her?" She asked for confirmation that she had understood correctly.

"Yes." Elphaba nodded her head. "If you'll allow me to that is…I'd like her to be my daughter as well. I love the both of you so much Glinda. I cannot imagine a life without either of you. Oz forbid if something ever happened to you, I couldn't bear to lose Ella too."

Glinda took a few seconds to go over Elphaba's words in her head. A smile slowly grazed the blonde woman's face.

"Are you sure this is what you want Elphie?" Glinda asked already knew the answer.

"I've never wanting anything more in my life. I love your daughter Glinda. But I hate having to say _your _daughter. I want to say _our _daughter." Elphaba smiled.

"This is really a decision for Ella to make." Glinda stated. "But I would love it if you were the other mother to her." She smiled down at her love as her eyes began to water. She felt so much love emanating from the green woman.

The green woman's heart soured as Glinda agreed to the adoption. She reached up and kissed Glinda lightly on the lips.

"I love you Glinda Upland and I love your daughter…_our_ daughter…just as much." The green woman corrected herself.

"Our daughter." Glinda said aloud testing how it would sound. "I like the sound of that." The blonde smiled and reached down again to capture Elphaba's lips in her own.

She didn't think it was possible to love the woman whose lap she sat on anymore than she already did. She was wrong. Elphaba wanted to adopt Ella. A thought that hadn't even crossed her mind until Elphaba brought it up.

The two continued kissing for a little while longer. The kisses stayed light and playful. They both knew that there would be time for more intimate kisses later once they were securely locked away in their own bedroom. For now they had to keep it controlled.

About five minutes after they started, Glinda finally broke away and smiled at Elphaba's still closed eyes.

"Are you going to tell her tonight?" Glinda looked at the time and saw that it read eight-thirty. Ella's bedtime was usually around now. They were running a little late.

Elphaba glanced up towards the clock and noted to time as well. She didn't know much about kids but she knew that they usually went to bed before nine o'clock.

"It's getting late. How about tomorrow? We can both tell her." The green woman smiled.

"That sounds perfect." Glinda beamed. As soon as the last words left her mouth the excited sounds from a three-year-old filled the air.

"They're here." Elphaba said in a creepy voice that caused Glinda to laugh.

"Yes they are." Glinda was trying to regain her bearings as she removed herself from Elphaba's lap.

Two seconds after the blonde successfully removed herself, Ella came bursting into the kitchen.

"Mommy! Iris!" The little girl squealed at seeing her two favorite people of all time in the same room as one another. She was getting really good at this whole watching what she called Elphaba in public thing.

"Hey sweetheart." Glinda walked over to her daughter and picked her up in her arms. "Did you have fun with nanny?"

The three-year-olds eyes lit up. "YES!" she half screamed.

It was obvious to the blonde that her daughter was completely exhausted. She usually started acting silly when she was tired.

"We got shoes and…and ice cream!" Ella tried to talk faster than the words would come out of her mouth.

"Ice cream?" Glinda raised and eyebrow and turned to Ella's nanny who was standing in the doorway to the room. No wonder her daughter seemed so wound up.

"She said that you said she could have some." Ella's nanny tried to defend her actions.

"You did?" Glinda looked back towards Ella who smiled nervously. The blonde couldn't help but laugh at the look of getting caught on her daughter's face.

Elphaba was now standing right next to Glinda holding onto her waist.

"Honestly Ella, do you need more shoes?" The green woman laughed as she remembered her last outing with the three-year-old.

As soon as the words escaped her mouth the green woman regretted it. Glinda and Ella both shot a look towards her that was meant to kill anyone in its path. One should never joke about footwear with the Upland women.

"Shoes are a requirement." Glinda stated before turning her attention back towards her daughter.

Elphaba started to laugh once again. Apparently she was the only one who had some self-restraint when it came to shoes.

"So you had fun?" Glinda tried to ignore the laughs coming from her love.

Glinda's daughter only shook her head up and down as she was paying more attention to Elphie.

"What? I'm sorry I offended the Shoe Worshippers of Oz club." Elphaba joked as she noticed Ella still staring at her.

The little girl chuckled. She wasn't sure what all those words meant exactly, but she could tell that the tone was joking. She was in the middle of a laugh when her sleepiness took hold. The little girl yawned.

"Looks like it's time for bed for someone." Glinda stated.

Ella stuck out her bottom lip to pout. She didn't want to go just yet. She was having too much fun.

"I'll take her to her bed Miss Glinda." Ella's nanny stepped in and held out her arms to take Ella. For the past few weeks she had been putting the little girl to sleep because her mother had been busy.

"I think we can handle it for tonight." Glinda courteously declined the nanny's offer and held onto her daughter.

The nanny was a little surprised at this but didn't feel offended. She was actually grateful that Glinda was taking time out of her schedule for her daughter.

"As you wish." She agreed. "May I retire for the night then?"

"Of course. And thank you again for taking Ella out." Glinda thanked the nanny and soon she had gone.

It was only the two Uplands and one Thropp left in the room now.

"Will you read to me?" Ella leaned her head up against her mother's chest and closed her eyes.

"Me and Elphie will read to you." Glinda smiled. She knew that doing this together with Ella would cheer the little girl up.

Before they could receive a response from the three-year-old she had already drifted off to sleep.

"She must have been exhausted." Elphaba smiled at her soon to be adopted daughter.

"Yeah. I haven't seen her this beat in a long time." Glinda agreed as she started walking out the door to put Ella in her bed.

The green woman followed after the two women she loved.

**XXX**

"Mommy?" Ella slightly woke up once Glinda placed her down in her bed.

"Shh. Go back to sleep sweetheart." Glinda kissed her daughter's forehead and pulled the cover over her tiny frame.

"Elphie?" Ella tried to open her eyes but they seemed glued shut.

"I'm right here El. I'll be here in the morning too. I'm not going anywhere." Elphaba reached down and stroked the light brown curls on top of Ella's head.

"Anywhere." Ella sleepily said. She wasn't even making that much sense anymore.

"Go to bed sleepy head." Elphaba chuckled before reached down and placing a kiss on Ella's forehead where Glinda had just previously been.

"Ni…night." Ella smiled and was soon fast asleep.

Elphaba took one last glance at Ella before leaving her room. Glinda shut the door after them and turned out the lights.

"She should sleep pretty good." Elphaba stated once Glinda was by her side once again.

"Yeah." The blonde agreed before yawning herself.

Elphaba grinned. "It seems she isn't the only one to be hit by the sleep fairy."

Glinda reached out and grabbed Elphaba's hand in her own. "You did your job of wearing me out earlier." She smiled.

"I did, didn't I?" Elphaba joked.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" Glinda looked into her love's brown eyes.

"Oh course." She smiled. "But under one condition."

"And what would that be?" Glinda couldn't think of what more her love could possibly want.

"I get to hold you." Elphaba smiled. She knew that this was something the blonde would let her do anyways.

Glinda smiled. "I would have wanted you to anyways."

"And where would be the fun in assuming?" Elphaba joked. "I like to keep you on your toes."

"Oh really?" Glinda challenged. "From our little escapade earlier I would have assumed you would have liked to keep me on my back."

Elphaba blushed at Glinda's comment. She had been caught off guard.

"Well I do like that too." The green girl recovered.

"As do I." Glinda agreed and picked up the pace to their bedroom.

The green woman noticed Glinda speeding up and knew this meant only one thing. Apparently all their talk of sex had turned Glinda on.

"Glin you should probably rest tonight. You're really tired." Elphaba tried to slow the girl's movements.

"You don't want me?" Glinda pouted and turned to face Elphie.

"Of course I want you. I always want you." Elphaba tried to avoid Glinda's stare. She would no doubt give in if she stared at her love for too long. "But I think tonight we should just sleep."

The blonde put up a few more protests before the two came to a compromise.

"Okay, if I agree to sleep naked will you agree to keep your hands off of me?" Elphaba chuckled. This was ridiculous and she knew it. She knew Glinda better than Glinda knew herself. The blonde would not be able to resist touching the woman whose arms she would be cradled in. Elphaba would just have to pretend to be asleep so that Glinda would finally stop.

"Agreed." Glinda cheered. She knew that once Elphaba was naked and the blonde was touching her then she wouldn't be able to resist. She thought she had won her battle.

The two women arrived back at their room eager to see who would win.


	35. Chapter 34

**A/N: Sorry it's later than usual. I was editing a Gelphie video to go on youtube. If you are interested it's up now. My username is Charmed71. You can find it through that I'm sure. So…with that said…here is the next chapter.**

**Chapter 34**

"Elphie." Glinda whined as she poked at the green figure next to her in bed.

The green woman's eyes remained shut and her breathing slowed down.

"Elphie you can't be asleep already." Glinda pouted. Only a few minutes earlier the two had been having one hell of a goodnight kiss in nothing but their underwear.

Despite her love's protests, Elphaba still pretended to be asleep. It would only be a matter of minutes before Glinda would give up and go to sleep herself.

"Elphiiiiieeee." Glinda snuggled in closer to her love. She knew that Elphaba couldn't already be asleep at this point. Elphaba was almost always the last one to fall asleep.

"I know you're not asleep." Glinda decided that when words failed her actions would have to take over. She let her hand lazily trace over the green woman's stomach.

Elphaba tensed at the feel of Glinda's soft hands on her stomach. She wasn't going to back down though. She knew that the blonde needed a good night of rest.

"Fine then." Glinda huffed. "If you are asleep then you won't even feel what I am doing to you." The blonde smiled in a devilish way and continued to move her hand over the green woman's stomach. Eventually she brought the hand higher and lazily traced around Elphaba's arousal spot.

Elphaba controlled breathing started to pick up speed. She felt Glinda's nearing her breasts and knew this was always a problematic area. Against her better judgment she tried to ignore the strokes of the delicate hands.

"Mmm…I love your skin Elphie. It's so soft." Glinda tried to talk seductively. She could hear Elphaba's breathing become heavier. Even if she was asleep she was bound to wake up eventually. Glinda was not letting her sleep until she was perfectly satisfied.

"_Oh sweet Oz."_ Elphaba thought to herself as she tried to ignore her growing desire for the blonde in front of her.

"I wish you were awake and could see what I am about to do to you." Glinda smiled. She was full on teasing Elphaba right now and she knew Elphaba could hear it. She wasn't stupid enough to fall for one of the green woman's tricks.

"_Do to me?!" _Elphaba was beginning to panic. If Glinda did anything more than she was doing right now then she would surely 'wake up'.

As if Glinda thought Elphaba's continued sleeping state a dare, she moved her head forward and replaced where her hands had been with her mouth.

Elphaba felt the moisture of Glinda's tongue against her skin and could resist no longer. She had forgotten what she was even resisting for.

Carefully opening her eyes, she took in the sight of blonde curls on her chest.

"This is one way to wake up." Elphaba tried to talk groggily. She needed to convince Glinda that she really had been asleep.

The blonde smiled as she heard Elphaba's voice fill the air. She brought her head back and stared into brown eyes.

"Maybe I can try waking you up like this again. When you are actually asleep." Glinda accused the raven-haired beauty.

"I have no idea what you are talking about. I was trying to get a good nights rest when you couldn't resist me." Elphaba smirked. She knew she had been caught.

"Of course I couldn't resist. You're lying in bed next to me naked." Glinda giggled and tried to scoot closer to Elphaba than she already was.

"I wouldn't have been naked if you hadn't insisted upon it. I held up my end of the bargain. You, my sweet, are failing miserably." Elphaba moved her arm to wrap around Glinda's waist.

"So you don't want me to touch you?" Glinda stuck out her bottom lip to pout. She stared up at Elphie with her puppy dog eyes.

Elphaba laughed. "That is not what I am getting at. We both need our sleep."

Glinda seemed disappointed. The green woman was still resisting after all of her efforts.

"I'm not tired yet." Glinda protested. "Maybe we should do something that will tire me out." She hinted suggestively.

"Just close your eyes." Elphaba placed a kiss on Glinda's forehead. "I will be here in the morning."

"Elphie, don't make me beg." Glinda became frustrated. Elphaba was being complicated.

"I have no intentions of making you beg. I just know that you can hold off until tomorrow. Tonight we both need to sleep." Elphaba was actually feeling worn out. She didn't know if she had the energy to make love to Glinda tonight.

Glinda sighed. She didn't want to force Elphaba into anything. She knew that if Elphie was still denying her then she must be tired.

"I don't mean to upset you my sweet." Elphaba frowned at the look on Glinda's face. "If you really want to make love tonight then I will make love to you."

This caused Glinda more distress. Elphaba shouldn't be talking about making love to her like it was a chore.

"Forget it Elphie." Glinda sighed before turning her back towards her love.

Elphaba felt a little hurt. Glinda hadn't even given her another good night kiss before turning over to go to sleep. She knew that she had really done something to offend the blonde. She should have just slept with her and gotten over herself. She didn't know what her reluctance was exactly.

"Glinda I'm sorry if I hurt you." Elphaba tried to apologize although she didn't really feel like she should be apologizing. Glinda should understand that just because they slept in the same bed did not mean that they had to have sex.

"Don't worry about it." Glinda shrugged off the apology like she had never received one. She wanted Elphaba to know that this wasn't acceptable.

"What's wrong Glinda? Please talk to me. I don't want you going to bed upset." Elphaba pleaded with her love to tell her what was going on.

Glinda turned around to face her love. It was then that Elphaba noticed unshed tears in the blonde's eyes.

"Why don't you want me?" Glinda tried to suppress the tears that were forming in her eyes. Was Elphaba reverting back to not trusting her?

The green woman sighed. It wasn't that she didn't want Glinda. She just couldn't bring herself to sleep with her on this particular night. For some reason she just wasn't feeling in the mood. No matter how much Glinda's little charade earlier had turned her on. It had done nothing but please her body, not her mind.

"I do want you. I just am not in the mood tonight. That's all." Elphaba brought a hand up to wipe at the tears that started to fall from her loves eyes.

"That's all?" Glinda mocked what Elphaba had just told her. "You make yourself sound so innocent." She swatted at the hand that tried to dry her tears.

"Glinda I know that me not wanting to have sex tonight is not the problem. What is the problem?" Elphaba ignored Glinda's protests and continued to try and dab at the tears.

Glinda sighed. She knew that this wasn't just about her feeling rejected for just this one night. "What if you aren't sleeping with me because you still can't trust me." Glinda admitted her fear. "Before was out of pure lust and passion. Now that the lust is gone, who's to say the sex won't go with it?"

"Is that really what you think?" Elphaba was surprised that Glinda would really think this. "Glinda there is always lust and passion when I make love to you. Don't ever doubt that. It's not going anywhere." The green woman smiled before placing a light kiss on Glinda's lips.

"But what about the trust thing? How can you have sex with me if you can't even trust me." Glinda wasn't willing to accept what Elphaba had to tell her so easily.

"Glinda I trust you in most aspects of our relationship right now; sex being one of them. I trust that you will not do anything to hurt me and that you will make sure I am all right during sex. There are many types of trust Glinda. The only type of trust I am having an issue with right now is leaving you alone in the room with another woman. So the trust issue is not affecting our sex life. I trust you in that department. I trust you with my life." Elphaba reassured the blonde that that was not an issue.

Glinda was still reluctant to believe that Elphaba was saying no to her because she was tired and for no other reason. She felt as if she didn't seal the deal tonight then this would become routine. A life without sex, except for on rare occasions when they became angry at one another. She wasn't willing to live like that.

"Elphie I can't see why if you trust me and you love me then you just won't sleep with me tonight." Glinda was annoyed. Elphaba seemed to be confusing her the more she spoke.

"Glinda I am not going to make love to you tonight because if I did now then it would be out of the wrong reasons. You want me to make love to you for the benefit of some crazy notion of yours that I will leave you. I want to make love to you because I feel like it. Tonight I am not feeling like it." Elphaba stated. She didn't care how blunt she was being. Glinda probably would twist her words now anyways.

"So you're just tired? No other reason?" Glinda's voice was sad. She looked up into her love's brown eyes trying to use her internal lie detector.

"No other reason. I promise you." Elphaba tried to smile but was still a little too upset to manage it. Glinda had really hurt her with her accusations.

"Okay." Glinda agreed. She didn't know if she believed it or not but she was unwilling to argue anymore.

"So are we at an understanding now?" Elphaba asked.

"And what understand would that be exactly?" Glinda didn't want to agree to anything without having all of the facts first.

"An agreement that just because we sleep in the same bed it does not mean we have to have sex." Elphaba tried to state the situation as best as she could manage.

Glinda didn't like the agreement. She would have sex with Elphie for the rest of her life if she could. She didn't like being under restrictions. "I guess so." She sighed.

"Okay good. We have an understanding now." Elphaba knew that Glinda wasn't exactly happy but she didn't exactly know what she could do about it.

"Yeah. Right." Glinda sounded kind of like a smart ass. She turned her back once again towards the green woman's body.

Elphaba sighed. She knew that she would get nothing more out of her love tonight and so she should just drop it. Maybe once they slept on it things would become clearer for the two.

"Good night Glin." Elphaba tried to manage as loving as possible at the moment.

"Night." Glinda replied with no real emotion.

Before they knew it the both of them had fallen into fitful sleeps.

**XXX**

Morning came too soon for the pair of lovers.

Elphaba was the first to wake as usual. She surveyed the situation and found Glinda huddled up into a ball halfway across the bed. She wasn't in her usual spot snuggled up to Elphie.

Elphaba frowned as she moved closer to her love hoping to warm her with her body heat.

Glinda awoke to the feel of someone wrapping their arm around her waist.

"Elphie?" Glinda questioned although she knew it had to be Elphie. No other arm out there was green.

"I'm sorry I woke you. " Elphaba apologized. "I was trying to snuggle up to keep you warm. You looked cold."

The blonde yawned. "It's all right." She stated before turning around to look at Elphaba.

"Good morning my sweet." Elphaba smiled to her love hoping that the previous night would not affect her mood.

"Morning." Glinda smiled back. She moved forward and placed a small kiss on Elphaba's lips.

Just because the two had a tiff the night before did not mean that they had to totally hate each other. It was only one misunderstanding.

"I'm glad to see you're happy." Elphaba laughed trying to lighten the mood.

"How could I not be? I woke up in the arms of a beautiful girl." Glinda smiled and nuzzled closer to Elphaba.

"Who else was in here?" Elphaba searched the room trying to see what beautiful girl Glinda was talking about.

Glinda laughed at the silliness of her love. "Oh you don't know her." She waved her arm in a dismissive manner.

"Well next time she comes around tell her I'm going to kick her ass if she lays one finger on you. You're mine." Elphaba played along.

"Yep. All yours." Glinda agreed.

Elphaba leaned forward and captured the blonde's lips in a better good morning kiss. One they had been accustomed to instead of that awkward kiss when the two first woke up.

"Mmm…good morning to you too." Glinda sighed. She loved kissing Elphaba like that when they first woke up.

Elphaba smiled at the expression of Glinda's face. "So I take it you are in better spirits today then you were last night?" she dared bringing up the topic. She knew the longer they avoided it, the harder it would be to talk about.

"Yes." Glinda agreed. "I'm sorry about last night Elphie." She truly looked sorry.

"It's okay." Elphaba smiled. "We all have our moments." She reached her hand out and stroked a pale cheek.

"I don't know what came over me. I shouldn't have been mad at you for being tired." Glinda leaned into Elphaba's hand.

"Well next time I am feeling in the mood and you are too tired then just remind me of last night. It's your one get out of jail free card." Elphaba chuckled.

"Okay." Glinda smiled at her love and moved in for another kiss.

**XXX**

When the two women finally dressed they headed in the direction of Ella's room.

It was still early in the morning and Ella would probably still be asleep for the next hour or so. This didn't sidetrack the women however. They could wait for Ella to wake up.

Elphaba was growing nervous at the thought of asking Ella if she could adopt her. What if the three-year-old said no to her? She knew this probably wouldn't happen but there was still the possibility.

"Deep breaths Elphie." Glinda giggled at the serious face that Elphie had on. "It's going to be all right. Just tell her you want to adopt her and see what she says. It's that simple."

"What if she says she doesn't want me to adopt her?" Elphaba asked as they rounded the corner to Ella's room.

"Sweetheart do you really think Ella is going to say no? She loves you." Glinda squeezed Elphaba's hand for comfort.

"I know." Elphaba sighed. She knew she was being irrational.

"We still have an hour to wait until she gets up. How about we sit and talk over what you are going to say to her." Glinda motioned to a bench that was in the hallway.

"Okay." Elphie allowed herself to be led to the bench. She needed to talk this over and make sure she had everything perfect. She couldn't mess this up.


	36. Chapter 35

**A/N: For the sake of this chapter there were zoo's around back then. And not the kind that housed Animals...but the kinda that housed animals. If that confused you i'm sorry, haha.**

**Chapter 35**

"Good morning sweetheart." Glinda entered her daughter's room with Elphaba in tow.

"Morning mommy." Ella yawned.

Glinda went over to her daughter's bed and picked her up.

"Elphie has something important she wants to ask you." Glinda smiled at her daughter and then at Elphaba.

Ella was curious about what Elphie had to tell her this early in the morning. She turned her head towards Elphie.

Elphaba was sweating profusely. The moment had come. No matter how many times Glinda had reassured her that things would go well, she was still having trouble believing it.

"Ca…can we sit?" Elphaba stuttered and motioned towards the couch in Ella's room.

Glinda put Ella on the ground and grabbed Elphaba's hand. The three of them made their way over to the sofa.

"Ella I have something really important to ask you." Elphaba tightened her grip on Glinda's hand. The blonde only smiled at Elphaba in response.

"I..I would like it if…if you would let me adopt you." Elphaba spoke faster than she thought possible. "I would like you to accept me as part of your family."

Ella looked into Elphaba's eyes wondering why this question was causing her so much distress.

"What's adopt?" Ella asked her mother.

Glinda knew that this question was a possibility. She decided that she should answer it instead of Elphaba.

"It means that Elphie wants to be your other mommy. If I ever went away for a long time then she would be the one to take care of you." Glinda tried to explain in terms that Ella would understand.

"Oh." Ella understood now. "Okay then." She replied.

"O..okay?" Elphaba wasn't sure she had heard correctly.

"Yup. You can adopt me." The three-year-old smiled and jumped off of the couch. "Can we eat now?"

Glinda giggled at her daughter's dismissive behavior. This apparently wasn't a problem to her in the least.

"We can go eat." The blonde smiled and looked towards Elphaba. The green girl was still staring speechless at Ella. "Elphie you can close your mouth now." Glinda continued to laugh.

"I…I…" Elphaba started but couldn't find the words to express how happy she was. All her worrying had been for nothing.

"I…I…" Glinda mocked. "I love you Glinda? Is that what you were trying to say? Aww how sweet. I love you too." Glinda joked knowing full well that's not where Elphaba was going with her ramblings.

Elphaba smiled and looked at the blonde. "Well yes I do love you but that's not what I was going to say."

Glinda leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Elphaba's lips. Her cheeks turned a darker color green.

"Ewww gross." Ella stated. Any kind of kissing seemed disgusting to her three-year-old mind.

Glinda just laughed at her daughter's comment. "Fine, fine. We will save that for later." She turned and winked at Elphie causing her to blush even more furiously.

"Food?" Ella reminded her mother that she was hungry.

"Yes food." Glinda responded and the three of them walked in the direction of the kitchen.

**XXX**

"Ella don't play with your food." Glinda chastised her daughter. "Food is for eating, not playing."

The two Uplands and one Thropp sat around the kitchen table enjoying some waffles and eggs the cook had prepared for them.

"I'm bored." Ella huffed. She had finished eating a while ago and was waiting for Elphie and her mother to finish.

"Table manners Ella…" Glinda shot her daughter a look that said do not mess with me.

Ella placed her fork down to get rid of the temptation to play with her food.

"Elphie, mommy is no fun." Ella complained to the green woman. She didn't care that her mother could overhear this conversation.

"I think she is plenty of fun." Elphaba stuck up for her soon to be wife. Now that things had settled down between them they had called the wedding back on.

Ella sighed. There was no way she was going to win this debate. "Can I go play mommy?" she turned her attention back towards the blonde.

"Me and Elphie are still eating. You can go play with your nanny if you want." Glinda was a little annoyed.

"Fine." Ella got up from her chair and stormed out of the room without even saying goodbye to either Elphie or her mother.

"What the hell was that all about?" Elphaba asked Glinda once Ella was out of the room.

"I don't even know half of the time. That child drives me crazy." Glinda admitted.

Elphaba laughed at the comment and continued to eat her breakfast.

"So any plans for the day?" Glinda asked her love once the two of them had finished eating.

"None so far. You?" Elphaba got up from the table and began gathering their empty plates.

"I have work to catch up on." Glinda huffed. "I have been avoiding in lately so it's really piled up. I might have to work until five or six tonight. Do you think you can manage until then?" She too joined in the quest to clean up.

"I'll miss you while you are away but yes I can handle that. It'll allow me and Ella some time to bond." Elphaba smiled and walked over to where her lover stood.

"Good luck with that. She seems to be in one of her moods today." Glinda wished her love good luck and placed a kiss of her lips.

"So dinner tonight?" Elphaba confirmed that that was the next time she would see her love.

"Yeah dinner. It's a dreaded nine hours away." Glinda groaned. The green girl only smiled in response.

Glinda gave Elphaba one more kiss that she hoped would last her until she could see the raven-haired beauty next.

"Good bye my love." Glinda pulled back from their kiss and looked lovingly into Elphaba's brown eyes before exiting the kitchen.

**XXX**

"Elphie!" Ella was apparently really excited to see Elphaba come and save her from her nanny.

"Hey there little one." Elphaba smiled and went over towards Ella. "It's just you and me today. Mommy's got to work."

Ella frowned slightly but not for long. She still had Elphaba who was willing to spend time with her.

"I wanna go to the zoo!" Ella bounced up and down with excitement. "Pwease take me." Ella's face imitated a look Elphie had seen so often of Glinda's face. It was the puppy dog look. The one the green girl could not resist.

"Don't you think your mommy wants to see the zoo too?" Elphaba tried to hold off a visit out in public. It was one thing masquerading around in the palace as someone she wasn't, but to do it in public as well was terrifying. It was only a small staff of people here. Out there it was more people. What if any of them recognized her? A lot of people had attended Shiz University that lived in the area.

"No. Mommy doesn't like the zoo." Ella continued to pout. "I never get to go. Ever."

Elphaba could feel her resolve faltering. She could not resist Glinda's daughter just like she couldn't resist Ella's mother. There was the certain Upland charm about them. Elphaba hoped her daughter didn't have that or else she would be in real trouble. Two against one is bad enough, three is unimaginable.

"Don't you want to go on another day when it's prettier? It's kind of cloudy outside. It might rain today." Elphaba tried everything to convince Ella to change her mind.

"I want to go now." Ella whined.

Elphaba sighed. She knew she had lost a battle. She had promised to spend some quality time with Ella and if this is how Ella wanted to spend it then this is how she would spend it.

"All right you win. Go grab your coat while I write a quick note to your mommy telling her where we are going." Elphaba caved.

Ella's face lit up with excitement. She could barely keep from bubbling out of the room at the thought of going to the zoo.

"Okay!" She yelled and ran towards her closet to retrieve a jacket.

Elphaba laughed at Ella's antics and went to scribble a note on a piece of paper for Glinda to read.

_Glinda,_

_I took Ella to the zoo for a couple of hours. Don't worry about us. I'll keep a good eye on her. We might even bring you something back…if you're lucky. I love you and will be back as soon as I can drag Ella away from the animals. Wish me luck. I'll need it._

_Yours Always,_

_Iris + one_

Once Elphaba was satisfied with her note she gave it to Ella's nanny to take down to Glinda's office. She knew Glinda had meetings all morning and so she didn't want to disturb her by stopping by in person.

"Ready to go?" Elphaba helped Ella into her oversized coat. It was a little chilly outside.

"Ready!" Ella smiled and grabbed a hold of Elphaba's hand.

The two women left the palace and headed towards the zoo.

**XXX**

"Delivery for you miss." One of Glinda's staff members knocked on her door and handed her an envelope.

Glinda thanked the staff member and carefully opened up the letter. She could tell it was from Elphie from her scrunched up and meticulous handwriting.

Her eyes scanned the page reading what Elphaba had wrote. How her love had signed the letter amused her greatly. It was Elphie and one now.

"Good luck my love." Glinda chuckled and sat the note on the corner of her desk. It would be much easier getting through the day knowing that Ella and Elphie both had something to entertain themselves.

Once the letter was positioned perfectly the blonde resumed her task of looking over documents.

**XXX**

"Elphie look! Look!" Ella tugged at Elphaba's dress trying to gain her attention.

"What? What?" Elphaba mocked Ella's excitement and turned to see where Ella's finger pointed.

"Birds!" Ella clapped and sure enough it was a cage of multicolored birds.

"They are birds." Elphaba smiled. "Good job." She patted Ella's head.

"Lift me." Ella requested and it didn't take long for the green woman to figure out what she was asking. She reached down and picked Ella up placing her on her shoulders.

"Do you know what kind of birds those are?" Elphaba quizzed Ella. She loved being able to pass her knowledge on to someone else.

"No." Ella responded. She didn't know much about the animals except they were birds and they could fly.

"They are toucans." Elphaba smiled and began reading off of the information card outside of their cage. "Toucans are usually first noticed flying from treetop to treetop in small groups. The bird's most distinguishing feature - its colorful, disproportionately large bill - is actually light, mostly hollow, and used for cutting down and manipulating the diet staple, tree fruit."

"Ooo." Ella awed in amazement. The birds were surely colorful enough for her liking.

"Ready to move on?" Elphaba asked and began walking to the next area.

In the next cage there were groundhogs.

"What are those Elphie!" Ella yelled in excitement.

"Hold still." Elphaba tried to keep Ella from bouncing off her shoulders. "Those are groundhogs." The green woman informed Ella and again read from the information card.

The two kept this up for what seemed like hours. When Elphaba was finally tired of walking and could tell Ella was tired as well she figured it was time to return to the palace. She needed to put Ella down for her afternoon nap.

**XXX**

"Did you have fun today?" Elphaba asked as she tucked Ella into her bed. The three-year-old grasped tightly to the new doll she had gotten at the zoo.

"Yeah!" Ella smiled back at Elphie. She really did like spending time out with the green woman. They always had fun together.

"Good." Elphie smiled and leaned in to place a soft kiss on Ella's forehead. "Now go to sleep. When you wake up it should be dinner time."

"Okay." Ella didn't put up a protest. She was actually exhausted from their zoo outing earlier.

"I love you." Elphaba said aloud for the first time. She had never told Ella she loved her.

Ella smiled. "I love you too."

Elphaba's heart felt as if it were going to burst from happiness. Ella loved her and wanted her to adopt her. What could bring her down now?

"Night sleepy head." Elphaba teased Ella, which had become their bedtime or naptime tradition. She walked over and shut the door leaving it slightly cracked for when Ella woke up.

**XXX**

The green woman practically skipped down the hall to Glinda's office. Well as close to skipping as the green woman could manage.

They had bought Glinda a stuffed bear at the zoo and she wanted to surprise her love. She knew work had to have been horrible that day.

She was smiled when she rounded the corner towards the staircase. She didn't even notice a couple of guards walking in front of her until she ran into them.

"Watch where you're going!" One of the guards rudely shouted.

"I'm sorry. I didn't see you there." Elphaba blushed. She had been too lost in her thoughts to see the oncoming traffic buildup in the hallway.

"It's all right. Just be more careful next time. We are escorting a prisoner at the moment. If you had knocked us any harder he would have gotten away." The guard glared at Elphaba trying to intimidate the woman. He apparently didn't know that she didn't scare easily.

It was when Elphaba heard them say they were escorting someone that her eyes fell on a familiar face. That person glared back at her for a little while. They continued to stare until their eyes widened with realization.

"Well hello lover." Fiyero smirked.


	37. Chapter 36

**A/N: Heads up…this is an intense chapter so please do not send hate mail, haha. Thank you!**

**Chapter 36**

Elphaba stood frozen for a couple of seconds. She couldn't believe that Fiyero had recognized her in her glamoured state.

"Surprised to see me?" Fiyero asked as the guards tightened their grip on his arms. They began walking again.

"Wait!" Elphaba snapped out of her stupor. She hadn't seen Fiyero in months and she didn't want to let him leave quite yet. "Yero!" she yelled and the guards stopped.

Elphaba slowed to a stop in front of the guards. "Where are you taking him?" She demanded to know.

"Southstairs. Direct orders from Miss Glinda." The woman blocking their exit annoyed the guards.

"Southstairs?!" Elphaba exclaimed. She knew that Southstairs was the worst of all prisons. Why would Glinda send him there?

"Yes." The guards confirmed. Fiyero was standing speechless the entire time trying to figure out where this was going. He didn't want to say the wrong thing the upset Elphaba at the moment.

"You can't take him there!" Elphaba yelled and looked towards Fiyero. Sure he had tried to enter the castle illegally but she knew he would never harm a fly. Fiyero was all talk and no action. He was too much of a softie on the inside to ever harm anyone. Glinda should know that.

"We can take him there and we will." The head guard replied. "Miss Glinda told us…"

Elphaba cut the guard off. "Don't listen to what Glinda told you. She made a huge mistake! I am her fiancée and I say let this man go." Elphaba pleaded to the guards to let Fiyero go. There was still a part of her that would always love him no matter what he did to her.

"Fiancée?" Fiyero gulped. It was the first word he had said in a while.

Elphaba looked into Fiyero's dark blue eyes. All of her emotions were conflicting. She didn't want to hurt Fiyero and she knew that this would hurt him.

"Yes." She spoke timidly. "Glinda and I are in love." She watched as Fiyero's face fell to a frown. All he had been working to obtain would have been for nothing. Elphaba didn't leave him because he lied. He left her because she had always been in love with Glinda. Everything began to fit into place now.

"Oh. Well congratulations." Fiyero managed a smile. He still loved Elphaba no matter what she had done to him in the past. If Glinda made her happy then so be it. Elphaba had spent too many years unhappy that she needed it.

"Congratulations?" Elphaba repeated unsure that she had understood correctly.

Before the two could continue their talk the guards pushed past Elphaba and began walking again. Fiyero took one last glance into the eyes of the woman he loved.

"HALT!" Elphaba yelled as loudly as she could. The guards stopped for fear that they would be hurt if they didn't. "Under the authority of soon to be Mrs. Upland I demand that you let this man go. Right now!" Elphaba screamed.

The main guard turned around and stared at Elphaba. The green woman could feel sweat beginning to pool at her forehead. Guards had always frightened her and so standing up to them was beyond terrifying.

"What did you say to me?" The guard challenged. He wasn't about to disobey a direct order from Miss Glinda.

"I said let this man go!" Elphaba stood her ground.

"And who's going to stop me if I don't." The guard smirked. What could one pregnant lady do to a group of five heavily armored guards?

"I will." Elphaba smiled for the first time. She loved standing up for things she believed in and she believed that Fiyero was being treated poorly. She could already see purple bruises around his eyes and arms. If she had known they had been beating him up she would have gone to see him sooner.

The head guard chuckled and the rest joined in. They obviously didn't know how much power the woman in front of them packed.

"Fae don't." Fiyero warned. His eyes pleaded for the green woman to just drop this. He would take whatever damage was coming to him if it meant she would walk away unharmed.

"It's too late Yero." Elphaba looked into his eyes and for the first time smiled at him. She had missed seeing his face for as much as she hated to admit it. She still loved Glinda with all of her heart, but there was a part of her that missed Fiyero. She missed his companionship. They were both outcasts in some sense.

Before the guards could comprehend the words passed between the two ex-lovers Elphaba had said a chant and they all fell flat on their backs. It was as if an invisible rope had passed through and tripped them up. The only one that remained standing was Fiyero who was still shackled.

"What the hell do you think you're getting at!" The head guard jumped back up and reached for his weapon.

"Are you going to let this man go now?" Elphaba asked innocently.

The guard reached his weapon and began pulling it out of it's holster. The handle of the weapon immediately glowed red and felt as if it were on fire. The guard retraced his hand as quickly as possible, shaking it to get rid of the burning sensation.

"I wouldn't do that again if I were you." Elphaba smirked to the five guards now standing upright in front of her.

"We could arrest you for that!" The guard second from the left shouted.

"Oh tisk tisk." Elphaba sounded bored with the whole situation. "I could have you all killed before you even managed to lay one finger on me." She threatened the guards. Of course she would never harm them but she needed them to believe that she would.

The intimidation seemed to work. A couple of the guards backed away from the woman and cowered behind the head guard.

"I don't believe that you answered my question. Are you going to let this man go?" Elphaba smirked at the receding guards. Her plan had apparently worked.

"Someone go get Miss Glinda." The head guard whispered to one of the men behind him. They were all eager to leave the scene, but only one actually did.

"I don't know why you insist on bothering her." Elphaba replied. She didn't want to have to drag Glinda into this whole big mess. It would worry her love greatly.

"I insist because we are apparently at a stand still. I will not disobey a direct order and you will not safely allow me and my men to leave. It seems I have underestimated your power Miss Iris." The guard admitted that he was a little intimidated at what Elphaba might do to them if they continued.

"Oh all right." Elphaba agreed this was the best way that no one would get hurt. "Can I at least have two minutes with the prisoner?"

"No." The guard was angry at such a request. He was already breaking so many rules.

"Oh come on. I won't go anywhere with him." Elphaba motioned around to all of the guards. She wasn't willing to try escaping with Fiyero with all of them around.

"No." The guard stood his ground.

Elphaba ignored his answer and walked back over to where Fiyero stood. The head guard didn't follow. He just kept a really close eye on the two.

"Are you all right Yero?" Elphaba used her pet name for Fiyero.

"I am now." Fiyero tried to smile but found it hurt to do so. "How come you haven't come to me before now?" He needed a direct answer. They didn't have much more time to speak.

"I…I was afraid." Elphaba admitted. "Afraid that you would out me." The green woman chose her words carefully. She knew the guards were listening in and so she had to keep her words as ambiguous as possible.

"I would never do that to you." Fiyero replied. "I love you too much to do that." He looked into Elphaba's brown eyes. Even though her skin color was different her eyes were the same shade of brown he had fallen in love with.

"Oh Yero." Elphaba sighed. "I'm so sorry for what they did to you here. I didn't know!" she was close to tears.

"Don't worry about it Iris." He said the name he had heard the guards call her. He didn't want to bring any more attention to the fact that Iris and him knew each other.

"Why did you come here?" She reached for his cheek to try and sooth the pain she knew he felt.

"You're overstepping your limit." The head guard spat out. He was not about to allow the prisoner and this woman to interact physically.

Elphaba sighed and let her hand fall to her side. She wasn't about to cause another scene.

"I wanted to get you back." Fiyero admitted. "I had no idea that you and Glinda were now a couple though. How long has that been going on?"

"A couple of months. I really love her." Elphaba looked into Fiyero's eyes trying to see if this information would make him change his mind.

"I'm happy for you." He smiled. "You got what you always wanted." He couldn't bring himself to be mad at Elphaba for falling in love with another woman. Deep down he had know for a while that Elphaba had fallen out of love with him.

"I did." Elphaba smiled. She did get what she had always wanted and she was happy that Fiyero could see that.

**XXX**

"Miss Glinda!" The guard that left the scene of the crime yelled.

Glinda was startled at the intrusion during her four o'clock meeting with Tahj.

"What is it?" She demanded to know what was so important that the guard didn't even knock.

"You should come quick! Miss Iris and the guards were getting into a fight when I left!" The guard panted as he tried to regain his breath. He wasn't quite sure what had happened since his departure.

Glinda and Tahj both looked at each other wide eyed before bolting for the door.

"What if she has been caught?" Glinda began crying as she ran towards the stairs. She couldn't bear to lose Elphaba to this again.

"I'm sure that's not it." Tahj tried to reassure her friend although he knew that that could be a possibility. His guards would not fight without being provoked. What if she had provoked them in some way?

"I…I can't lose her again." Glinda cried and ran faster. She thought the faster she ran, the more she could save her love. Her lungs almost burst through her chest as they screamed for air.

"I won't let that happen." Tahj was two steps behind Glinda.

The two continued to sprint in the direction they thought Elphaba would be at. Glinda cursed herself for not asking where they were before she left her office.

Glinda and Tahj finally reached the area between Ella's room and Glinda's office. The blonde gasped at the sight of Elphaba so close to Fiyero. Fiyero might be hurting her.

"Elphie." Glinda's breath caught as she raced towards the green woman she loved.

**XXX**

"I was never going to hurt you. I promise." Fiyero apologized to the green woman for thinking he could ever harm her.

"I know. It was an accident." Elphaba accepted his apology. They had talked about Fiyero being the reason she was shot and ended up in a coma. Elphaba knew that that was the guards fault if anyone's. Fiyero had never meant for her to get shot.

"I'm going to kill the bastards that did that to you." Fiyero became angry with the guards that shot Elphie.

Elphaba chuckled slightly. "Don't worry about it. Glinda has already had every single one of the fired." She smiled. "She had a little bit of a temper if you hadn't noticed."

Fiyero grimaced at the reminder of Glinda almost beating him to death. He knew now that it was because he was the reason Elphie was in a coma and might never wake up. He couldn't be as mad at her now.

"Yes she does. She has a bit of a jealousy streak too." Fiyero tried to chuckle about his current situation.

"Ah. So that is the real reason behind the transport to Southstairs." It all clicked in Elphaba's head now. Glinda was trying to make Fiyero pay for ever hurting Elphaba.

"I believe so." Fiyero admitted.

The two ex-lovers stared at each other for a little while longer. It was nice talking so friendly with one another. Fiyero had longed to talk to Elphaba for so long. Elphaba in return had missed Fiyero's company. The two of them may not be in love with each other but that didn't mean they couldn't be friends.

Elphaba leaned in to place a small kiss on Fiyero's cheek, a simple gesture that was often shared between friends. The guards could be damned for all the green woman cared.

As soon as Elphaba got one inch away from the man's cheek a force knocked her off of her feet and to the ground. The weight of another human body was on top of hers holding her down. She couldn't exactly see who it was.

"Get off me!" Elphaba screamed. She figured the guard must have tackled her. She didn't want to have to put up with this and so she muttered a quick chant under her breath.

The weight was lifted off of her back and the figure was thrown into the pillar nearby.

"I told you not to fucking touch me." Elphaba seethed. She tried to stand and look over to where the figure had landed.

That's when she saw all of the guards running forward with their weapons drawn. She stared wide-eyed down the barrel of the gun to the head guard she thought had tackled her. She quickly took a mental note of all of the guards. All four seemed to be facing her.

So if all four were facing her then who did she slam into the wall?

"Glinda." Elphaba looked over to the still figure of her love crumpled on the ground. Tahj was hovering over her to try and wake the blonde up. Blood trickled from her forehead.

"You are under arrest for the attempted murder of Glinda Upland!" The head guard began reading Elphaba her rights as he handcuffed her. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney one will be appointed to you. You have the right to use or invoke any of these rights at anytime."

"Glinda!" Elphaba tried to call to her love as she was being led away from the scene. "Glinda!" the green woman began to cry.

She hadn't meant to hurt Glinda. She thought it was the guard who had tackled her.

"Let go of me!" Elphaba tried to free herself from the shackles around her wrists.

"No." The guard smiled. He was glad that this woman finally received what was coming to her.

"Glinda!" Elphaba yelled once more. Tears rolled freely down her face.

The screaming was no help. She was already out of sight of the blonde.

"Look at it this way. You can join your friend now." The guard laughed devilishly and pulled on Elphaba's arms to get her to move forward.

"Wha..what do you mean?" Elphaba was terrified.

"Southstairs. Attempting to murder a head of state is an automatic sentence to Southstairs. Let's hope she makes it for your sake or you'll be facing the death sentence." The guard cheered again. The other guards were not far behind with Fiyero in tow.

Elphaba chanced a glance back towards Fiyero and the two locked eyes.

Elphaba was terrified and Fiyero could do nothing to help. He was in the same predicament as she was.

Elphaba couldn't stand the pained expression in Fiyero's eyes anymore. She turned her head around and looked towards the guard.

"I didn't know it was Glinda! I would never harm her." Elphaba tried to defend herself.

"I would remain quiet if I were you. You might not want to say anything to incriminate yourself further." The guard said.

Elphaba felt completely hopeless. She didn't know if her love was all right or not. She was being led away by guards. She was going to Southstairs where she knew people might recognize her. She was facing the possibility of death. Everything was falling apart.

In a moment of shock Elphaba fainted.


	38. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

"Glinda!" Tahj called as he shook the blonde gently.

Glinda had still not regained consciousness from her assault earlier. She laid on the cold marble floor, eyes shut and breathing shallowed.

"Wake up Glinda!" Tahj continued to prod the blonde to wake up. He knew that she was not fatally wounded. She had just been knocked out momentarily and would have one hell of a headache when she finally woke up.

"They took Elphaba." Tahj whispered the name of the woman who had just been escorted away by guards. He felt horrible for not following after them. Elphaba should have been his priority. He was too worried about Glinda though.

"Wake up!" Tahj shouted with a little more force.

The blonde's eyes fluttered. She was coming to.

"Wha…what happened?" Glinda spoke weakly as she brought a hand up to hold her throbbing head. Her eyes were still not seeing everything perfectly.

"Glinda oh thank Oz!" Tahj rejoiced before becoming serious once again. "They took Elphaba. They thought she was trying to murder you!"

Glinda's eyes shot open and she tried to blink back the tears of pain that she felt. "Elphaba?" she asked confused.

"Don't you remember?" Tahj became worried. He knew how serious head injuries could be. "You went over to tackle Elphaba and she used magic to throw you off. You landed on this pillar." He motioned to the dented pillar behind the blonde.

"Why would she do that?" Glinda found it hard to focus on anything for too long. She couldn't quite comprehend the danger Elphaba was in.

"Glinda we need to get to her before the guards do anything!" Tahj tried to explain to Glinda that explanations could come later. They needed to act now if they wanted to save Elphie.

"Guards?" Glinda was still dazed. The throbbing in her head was making it hard for her to understand anything. All she wanted to do was sleep it off. She didn't want to have to move.

"Glinda we need to go!" Tahj got up from the floor and grabbed a hold of Glinda's wrists to pull her up.

Glinda felt herself being pulled up and winced in pain. Her back was hurting her as well as her head. It was difficult to stand without shaking. There was no way she would be able to walk.

"Glinda take my hand." Tahj extended his arm for Glinda to lean on for support. The blonde didn't waist anytime in attaching herself to her friend.

"We need to get to Elphaba before the guards do something bad to her. I heard them say something about Southstairs!" Tahj was frantic. He knew how terrible prisoners were treated in Southstairs. He wouldn't even wish that on his worst enemy.

Glinda tried to understand what Tahj was saying to her but all she heard was a ringing in her ears. She needed to lye down again.

"Uh oh." Tahj reached down to catch a falling Glinda. "You are not going to sleep yet. We need to figure this out."

Glinda pouted. Her injury was causing her to act more childish than her three-year-old daughter. She was left debilitated.

"Glinda please snap out of it. I know you can hear me. We need to save Elphaba." Tahj looked into Glinda's eyes. Eyes that were still half closed and glazed over.

A small smile appeared on Glinda's face. "Elphie." She murmured as a memory came to her mind. It was the only thing that was not hurting her at the moment.

"Yes Elphie." Tahj used the nickname Glinda had said. "We need to save her from bad men." Tahj figured that if Glinda was acting like a child then he should treat her as such.

"Bad men?" Glinda's smile turned into a frown and her eyes opened a little wider.

Tahj could see his words were working. "Yes bad men came and took Elphie away. We need to get her back." He tried to get the blonde to understand.

"Why did they take her?" Glinda asked groggily. She was slipping back into unconsciousness.

"Oh no you don't." Tahj shook Glinda's frame as her eyes fluttered shut. He wasn't going to allow Glinda to fall asleep. He needed to keep her awake so they could save Elphaba.

"I wanna sleep." Glinda whined and tried to swat at Tahj's hands.

"Please Glinda." Tahj hated having to take care of Glinda in her state. He wasn't used to dealing with children.

"No." Glinda grew angry. "I want to sleep!" she opened her eyes to look at Tahj.

Tahj cowered away at the look he was receiving from Glinda. "You can't sleep!" He gained his courage again.

Glinda began to cry. She felt so tired and was hurting so much that she just wanted to lye down and sleep. Why wouldn't this man let her sleep?

"Glinda don't cry." Tahj begged. "We need to save Elphaba. Don't you want to save her?"

"She hurt me." Glinda cried some more. She had the mind of a five-year-old at the moment.

Tahj sighed. He knew this was useless. Glinda would not function properly until she had slept her head injury off. She needed to go see the doctor.

"Fine." He relented. "I am going to drop you by the doctor's and then go and find Elphaba myself."

"Don't leave me." Glinda clung to the man that had been there when she had woken up.

"Glinda you are in no mental state to go with me. We need the doctor to check on your head." Tahj hugged the woman wrapped around him. He felt sorry for her. She seemed so small and fragile compared to his statuesque figure.

"I'm sorry. I'll be good." She whispered.

Tahj didn't know what to do. Did Glinda want to come with him because she wanted to save Elphaba, or because she wanted to stay near him? Did she even know who he was?

"Glinda do you know who I am." Tahj tested. He knew it was a stupid question but he figured it didn't hurt to ask.

"Duh silly face." Glinda pointed an index finger on his nose. "You're a guard!"

"Well yes but what's my name." Tahj grew worried once again. Glinda was not acting like herself. She had regained consciousness completely now, but was still acting twenty years younger than her actual age.

"Um…" Glinda had to think for a moment. "I know!" She exclaimed excitedly. "Tadge!" Glinda mispronounced his name.

"Close enough. It's Tahj." The guard sighed in relief. At least Glinda remembered who he was…sort of.

"That's what I said." Glinda giggled.

"Do you know who Elphaba is?" Tahj tested the waters. Maybe if he mentioned Elphaba and made her think about it she would remember what happened to her.

"Of course! She's my roomie!" Glinda giggled. "We are best friends!" she swooned at the mention of Elphaba's name.

"Roomie? As in you live together here at the palace?" Tahj tried to make sure that's what the blonde meant.

"Palace?" Glinda looked at him questioningly. "Shiz is not a palace."

Tahj's eyes went wide in realization. Did Glinda really think she was in college and her and Elphaba were only friends?

"Glinda we aren't at Shiz. You graduated a couple of years ago. We are in your palace now." Tahj tried to see if any of this rung a bell for the blonde. How come if she could remember his name, she couldn't remember the time? Tahj has met her after Shiz.

"I graduated?" Glinda was still confused. "I don't think so." She shook her head.

Tahj became frustrated. "Glinda how did you know my name then if you think you are at Shiz?" Tahj needed to know. Was Glinda just playing this all up for reasons unknown?

"Your name tag duh!" Glinda acted as if it was the most obvious answer.

Tahj looked down and saw the nameplate on his uniform. Tahj Guff it read. How come if Glinda could see his name was Tahj she had mispronounced it earlier? She must not have been the brightest crayon in the box back in school.

"Do you seriously not remember anything that has happened to you since Shiz University?" He questioned her.

"What do you mean since? I am still there! I have a test in Sorcery tomorrow. Elphaba was supposed to help me study. Do you know where she is? You can't miss her. She's green." Glinda looked around the room taking in the sight of everything for the first time. "Where am I?"

Tahj stared disbelieving at Glinda. She had obviously knocked her head a lot harder than he thought she had.

"Glinda you have to listen to me. Elphaba is in trouble. You are no longer in Shiz. There was an accident and you hit your head. We need to save Elphie though." Tahj tried to engrain all of this information into Glinda's head.

"Elphie's in trouble?" Glinda questioned finally realizing what Tahj was trying to tell her.

"Yes. We need to go help her." Tahj spoke slowly.

"Let me go get Fiyero and I will be right back." Glinda started to walk away.

"Wait!" Tahj yelled and caught up to the blonde. "Fiyero isn't here. He was captured by the mean men as well as Elphaba. We need to save them!"

This got Glinda's attention. "FIYERO HAS BEEN CAPTURED!" She yelled in disbelief. Why would anyone want to capture her boyfriend!

"Yes. Now do you want to help me save them or not?" Tahj questioned. He knew he could use Fiyero to get Glinda to come along.

"Of course! Oh Fiyero." Glinda sighed.

Tahj rolled his eyes. He couldn't help think back to what Glinda had said about Fiyero after their confrontation in the jail cell.

"Let's go!" Tahj reached for her arm and dragged her behind him. They had already wasted enough time.

**XXX**

Elphaba awoke in a room she didn't recognize. The walls were dark and there was little light illuminating the room. She groaned as she moved to sit up. The memories of how she ended up there flooded back into her memory. She hoped Glinda was okay.

Looking around the room, she spotted a table in the center with one chair on either side. It looked like an interrogation room of some sort. She moved to get up when a voice echoed around her.

"Well well well," the voice chuckled. "Look what the cat dragged in."

Elphaba blinked a couple of times trying to figure out where the voice was coming from. The voice sounded awfully familiar.

"You won't be able to see me." The voice laughed at Elphaba's attempts to locate where it was coming from. "But I can see you Elphaba dear."

Elphaba froze. Who was this and how did they know her real name?

"Wh…who are you?" Elphaba's voice shook as she demanded to know who knew her name.

The voice chuckled. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Wha…what do you want with me?" Elphaba looked around for an exit. The room didn't seem to have any doors.

"Now now don't get angry with me. You should be thanking me." The voice spoke again. "If it weren't for me you and your little lover would be in Southstairs right now."

Elphaba panicked. Where they talking about Glinda?

"Leave them alone!" She yelled, careful to avoid saying he or she.

"And why would I want to do that?" The voice barked. "It's so much more fun having two for the price of one."

Chills ran up and down Elphaba's spine. Had this person paid for the two of them?

"How did I get here?" Elphaba questioned and began pacing the room.

"All in good time my pretty, all in good time." The voice spoke words that Elphaba had once spoken herself. This person obviously knew her from before she was considered wicked, or they had researched her well.

"Where is my love?" Elphaba needed to know if it was Glinda or Fiyero that had been captured.

"Don't worry about him. He is being taken care of." The voice echoed off the walls.

Elphaba breathed in a little sigh of relief. Glinda was still safe and sound. She would have rather it have been Fiyero caught than her love.

"Are you happy about that?" The voice was curious. Elphaba seemed relieved when the voice had told her it was a he who was captured instead of a she.

"No." Elphaba lied. She had to pretend she was in love with Fiyero for things to work out.

"Why don't you show yourself?" Elphaba questioned the eerie voice.

"And where would the fun be in that?" The voice laughed. "That would be too easy. No I think I will have my fun first."

"Wha…what kind of fun?" Elphaba stuttered. She was now wishing that she had been taken to Southstairs. At least there she would see her abuser or capturer. They meant the same thing down there.

"All in good time…" The voice trailed off. They were obviously reveling in making the green woman squirm.

"Can I see Fiyero?" Elphaba asked bravely. She knew the answer had to be no.

"When he wakes up I will send him in." The voice replied with no hint of sarcasm.

Elphaba was surprised. Was her kidnapper actually going to let Fiyero go to her? She hoped they made good on their word.

"Thank you." Elphaba managed to spit out. She felt the need to thank the voice for some reason.

The voice laughed in return. "Food is located on the far left of the room, by the trash can. Eat up. Your going to need your strength."

And with that the voice was gone.

Elphaba was left to ponder what to do next. Should she try and escape? Should she trust that she really was better off than in Southstairs? Should she trust the food enough to eat it?

"Glinda I'm so sorry." Elphaba cried into the abyss.

**XXX**

Tahj and Glinda arrived at Southstairs an hour or two after leaving Glinda's palace. The carriage ride over had been mostly spent informing Glinda of what had happened over the past few years. Glinda didn't seem to remember much after her and Elphaba became friends at the OzDust Ballroom. She kept talking about it like it had happened last week.

"We're here to release Iris Tancredi and Fiyero Tiggular." Tahj informed the guard sitting behind the check in desk.

The guard looked up at Tahj before busting into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Tahj questioned the guard. Glinda clung tighter to Tahj's side. The guard was starting to scare her.

"We haven't received any prisoners in the past couple of weeks. There are no prisoners by those names." The guard continued to laugh. How stupid could the two people in front of him be?

"Are you sure? Can you at least check?" Tahj thought the guard was messing with him. Surely Elphaba and Fiyero had to be here.

"Fine." The guard didn't look too happy about having to check on something he knew he wouldn't find. He wasn't about to disobey a higher officer though.

"And hurry it up. We need to know right now." Tahj replied impatiently.

The guard behind the desk shot him a dirty look before disappearing in the back where the records were kept.

"Tahj?" Glinda looked helplessly into Tahj's eyes.

"Yes Glinda?" Tahj softened as he saw the fear in Glinda's eyes.

"What if they hurt him?" She began to tear up.

"Hurt who?" He questioned.

"Fiyero!" She screamed as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. "They better not hurt Fiyero! I don't know what I'll do if they hurt him!"

Tahj rolled his eyes. When they finally met back up with Elphaba the green woman would not like this. Hopefully with some proper sleep and time to heal the blonde would remember whom her heart really belonged to.

"We're getting married! What will I do without a husband?" Glinda cried at the thought of growing up without Fiyero.

"I think you'll manage." Tahj chuckled to himself. It didn't go unnoticed by Glinda however.

"You think this is funny?" She became angry. "My best friend and my boyfriend are in prison! This isn't funny!"

Tahj had to stifle another laugh. He felt bad because he knew Glinda wasn't in her right mindset, but it was still funny nonetheless.

"No Glinda I don't think that is funny. I'm sorry." Tahj apologized which earned a huff from Glinda. The blonde crossed her arms and turned her nose up at Tahj. She was beginning to not like the man she was with.

Before Tahj could offer up another apology, the guard returned with two folders.

"It says here they were supposed to arrive one hour ago." The guard opened up the charts and pointed to the time arrival stamp.

"Do you think they could have just gotten lost?" Tahj questioned and he took hold of the folders.

"No." The guard was annoyed at such a stupid question. "The guards have already checked in and there were no prisoners with them."

Tahj became concerned. Where then were Elphaba and Fiyero if not in Southstairs?

He wasn't the only one to wonder.

"Oh no! Fiyero!" Glinda sighed. "Now who will take me to the dance?"

Tahj narrowed his eyes at Glinda. How could she be so…so…blonde? He held a higher respect for the green woman now. How she had dealt with the college aged Glinda was beyond him. Having Ella had really changed her life around.

"Can I speak with the guards?" Tahj ignored Glinda's little fit and turned his attention back towards the guard.

"They already left for the day. They won't be returning until tomorrow." The guard stated smugly.

Tahj groaned. He didn't have all night to figure out where the two of them had been taken. He needed to get them back right now.

"Thank you." He thanked the guard before exiting with Glinda in tow.


	39. Chapter 38

**A/N: Uber short chapter but I have a case of writer's block at the moment…not good I know. I'll try and work past this little set back as much as I can.**

**Chapter 38**

"We need to figure out where Fiyero and Elphaba are before it's too late." Tahj carried Glinda away from the entrance to Southstairs.

"Too late?" Glinda's voice was meek compared to her usual headstrong attitude.

Tahj groaned in frustration. Glinda was doing nothing to help him. She was only making the situation worse.

"Do you have any idea where the guards would have taken her if not Southstairs?" Tahj tried to get some information out of the blonde.

Glinda shook her head. She didn't know where Fiyero and Elphaba would be.

"They have to be here." Tahj slammed his foot down angry. "The guards wouldn't just let them go."

"Then why don't we go get them out?" Glinda tried to provide a solution.

"It's not that easy. As you just saw from our little charade in there, the guards do not want us knowing they are in there." Tahj motioned towards where they had just come from.

Glinda followed the guard's hand movement and her eyes laid upon the brick exterior of a prison. She shuttered to think her boyfriend was in a horrible place like that.

"We need to save Fiyero!" Glinda whimpered and shrunk back into the comfort of Tahj's strong arms.

"We will." Tahj reassured her. "And we will save Elphie too."

Glinda nodded her head up and down on the man's chest.

"First we need to come up with a game plan. We obviously can't go back to the visitor entrance. The only way in is the prisoner transport entrance…" Tahj trailed off as he tried to devise a plan in his mind.

"Can't we just pretend I'm a prisoner and you are my escort?" Glinda offered up a solution.

Tahj was actually taken back at Glinda's sudden logic. He had been thinking along the same lines. If they pretended to be someone they were not then they could gain entrance to the building. That would be the first step in the long rescue mission.

"That isn't actually a bad idea." Tahj smiled towards Glinda. Glinda bounced up and down at finally not being yelled at for one of her ideas.

"We need to think of what we are going to do once inside the prison though." Tahj became serious once again. "We can't just prance in there and expect Elphaba to be waiting for us on the other side."

"And Fiyero." Glinda chimed in.

"And Fiyero." Tahj sighed. Elphaba was going to be devastated when she learned of what her little magic had done. Tahj understood that Elphaba had never meant to hurt the blonde intentionally.

Tahj and Glinda stood outside of the entrance to Southstairs for a little while discussing their plan.

**XXX**

Elphaba was huddled in one corner with her chin resting on her knees. She had not eaten the food provided to her for fear that is was tainted. She would rather starve to death than trust a total stranger's food.

She was sitting thinking about all the things she would miss out on if she were never discovered. She would miss Ella's childhood. She would miss her love's perfect little giggle. She would miss the smell of Glinda's shampoo after she freshly showered. She would miss Ella going out on her first dates. She would miss Ella's marriage, and possible grandchildren.

There were so many things that Elphaba would miss that she never would have before. She realized in those few moments that her life had certainly changed after reemerging. She now had a life worth fighting for. She wasn't willing to give it up so easily.

That's why when the familiar voice spoke once again she was angry with them.

"I told you to eat." The voice rang out. It sent shivers down Elphaba's spine.

"No!" Elphaba screamed. "Let me out of here!"

"Oh it seems someone has developed a slight temper now." The voice chuckled at the change in Elphaba's attitude. She had gone from scared to angry.

"Who are you damn it!" Elphaba yelled and stood up on her feet.

"That is no way to talk to someone who has your love captured in the next room." The voice tisked.

"Let us out of here! We have done nothing wrong!" Elphaba needed to escape. She needed to go back to Glinda to make sure she was all right.

"Oh but you have." The voice accused. "You are supposedly dead. I'm sure all of Oz would love to hear of your miraculous recovery."

Elphaba froze. If Oz ever learned of her survival then witch hunters would be the least of her problems. They would kill her child in the attempts to kill her.

"Where's Fiyero?" Elphaba tried to avoid the acid eating away at her stomach.

"Ah Fiyero." The voice seemed delighted at the mention of his name. "You know I thought his name sounded familiar before, but when I researched him I found out Fiyero Tiggular supposedly died the same year that you did.

Elphaba listened carefully. The speaker was giving away clues as to who they were without even knowing it. Elphaba now knew that the person must have known her after her reemergence. For anyone before would have known Fiyero's name without research.

"What's in this for you?" Elphaba tried to gain some more information on her capturer.

"Well this could have gone away weeks ago if you had agreed to my pact." The voice was furious.

Elphaba's eyes widened in realization, as she understood whom her kidnapper was.

"Leland?" Elphaba tested out the name to make sure she was correct.

The voice was quiet for a couple of minutes. Elphaba had thought she scared the man away when suddenly there was a jerk at the door in the far left hand corner.

The green woman looked up to see Fiyero stumble into her cell.

"Fiyero!" Elphaba yelled as she rushed over to the man. He looked like he had taken a beating.

"Fae?" Fiyero looked into Elphaba's eyes as if he were seeing a ghost.

"Thank Oz your all right." Elphaba sighed being pulling Fiyero into a bone-crushing hug.

Elphaba was more frightened than she had ever been. Fiyero was the only familiar face and so she clung to him in desperation.

"Ca…can't breath." Fiyero choked out. Elphaba finally released her intense grip on the man.

"Do you know what happened?" Elphaba asked Fiyero if he remembered anything.

Fiyero shook his head. "I don't remember a whole lot. After you passed out the guards carried us to this place. It looked like a prison on the outside. I think we are in Southstairs. But as soon as we got here there was this man in a cloak who took us from the guards. He knocked me out soon after that and I don't remember what happened." Fiyero tried to tell Elphaba all he knew.

"I think I know who the cloaked figure was." Elphaba sighed. "I think it was Leland."

"Leland?" Fiyero asked surprised. "Leland Toyik?" He needed confirmation.

"Yes Leland Toyik." Elphaba huffed. What other Leland was out there that the two of them knew?

Fiyero suddenly felt betrayed. He thought Leland and him had become friends while he was in captivity. It turns out he was only using him for information.

Fiyero's guilt grew as he remembered some of the exact things he had told Leland about Elphaba. He would have never told him if he knew Elphaba really was there at the palace prancing around in broad daylight.

"It's my fault." Fiyero shook his head and began to blame himself.

"None of this is your fault." Elphaba tried to convince her friend. "He's a manipulative bastard that would have found his way to me anyways." She was disgusted.

"But I told him things. I didn't know you were masquerading as Iris." Fiyero confessed.

"I know." Elphaba placed a hand on Fiyero's arm. She looked into his eyes and gave him an understanding smile. "I know you would never intentionally hurt me."

Fiyero was just about to reply when the creaking of the door filled the air once again. The two friends gulped before staring at the door to see who was entering now.


	40. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

"Glinda!" Elphaba yelled in relief as Glinda and Tahj stumbled through the door.

The green woman was so glad to see her fiancée alive and doing well after what she had done to her.

Before the blonde had time to comprehend what was happening, Elphaba raced over towards her and kissed her fiercely.

"I'm so sorry!" Elphaba began to cry tears of happiness as she pulled her face away from Glinda's.

Glinda stood shell shocked for a couple of minutes after the events of what had just happened. Tahj had not gotten around to telling her that her and Elphie were now a couple.

Elphaba noticed Glinda's speechless state and immediately became worried. Was the blonde mad at her for what had happened?

"Glinda please say something." Elphaba pleaded and brought her hands up to cup Glinda's face.

Glinda's breath hitched as Elphaba touched her skin. She couldn't understand why Elphaba was kissing her and being overly physical. The green woman was never physical with her, not that she minded it.

"Elphaba…" Tahj began to explain to the green woman but immediately was silenced by Glinda.

"I…I don't understand." Glinda looked into Elphaba's eyes and then over to Fiyero standing behind her. She immediately left Elphaba's embrace and ran towards Fiyero.

Elphaba reeled around to see where her love had gone and the sight broke her heart. Glinda was giving Fiyero a bone-crushing hug. All the green woman had received was the cold shoulder. Glinda would rather hug her enemy than talk to her fiancée.

Elphaba wasted no time in going over to stop their little reunion.

"Look Glinda, I don't know what your deal is, I said I'm sorry! Now is not the time for explanations, we need to get out of here." Elphaba looked frantically back towards the door that Tahj and Glinda had just entered.

Glinda loosened her grip on Fiyero and stared at Elphie. Had the green woman lost her mind?

"Well don't go getting snappy with me! I'm not the one who ran off with someone else's boyfriend!" Glinda yelled towards Elphaba and linked arms with Fiyero.

The whole time this was going on Fiyero stood there too afraid to say anything. Glinda had already injured him enough and he didn't want that happening again.

Tahj stood near the entrance to the door. He needed to get the four of them out of there.

Elphaba was confused for a little while but then something clicked into place. "Glinda that was four years ago! Let it go!" She was angry at Glinda for bringing something like that up at a time like this. They needed to get out of here.

"Like hell it was!" Glinda yelled. Before she could say anymore Tahj finally spoke up.

"Now isn't the time." Tahj yelled. "We need to get out of here!"

Elphaba looked towards the door they came in through. She felt torn. She couldn't escape knowing the Leland knew who she really was. She would have to take care of him once and for all if she ever wanted a normal life for her and Glinda.

"I can't go." Elphaba stated and looked down towards the ground. "It's Leland. He knows who I am."

Tahj's eyes went wide. He would never imagine Leland to be able to pull off something as elaborate as this.

"If I escape he'll only let the whole public know who I really am." It pained Elphaba to admit the truth. Glinda and Tahj had come to rescue her, only she couldn't be rescued. It was already too late.

"What are you talking about Elphie?" Glinda was frustrated. She didn't know what was going on. They got Fiyero and Elphaba, why couldn't they just leave now?

Elphaba looked back towards her loves eyes with unshed tears.

"Go home Glinda. Take care of Ella. I'll find a way out of here." She needed to ensure Glinda's safety. She had no idea how they had gained entrance, but knew it was only a matter of time before the guards would begin to arrive or Leland would notice.

Glinda looked towards her best friend with confusion in her eyes.

"You're not coming with us?" She asked as her anger ebbed.

"No." Elphaba shook her head back and forth and looked towards Tahj. "Tahj please ensure that Glinda gets home safely. I'll deal with this on my own." She begged the guard to believe her.

Tahj couldn't believe what Elphaba was saying. He was not going to leave Glinda's fiancée in the hands of a lunatic. Especially not when Elphaba was carrying Glinda's unborn child.

"No I won't leave you." Tahj stated and stepped further into the room to prove a point.

"You have to. There's no other way. Leland will destroy you guy's life if you help me to escape. I need to do what he tells me." Elphaba pleaded.

"No." Tahj crossed his arms across his chest. He wasn't going to cave.

"They will kill you all!" Elphaba screamed.

Glinda cowered into Fiyero's embrace at the timbre of her voice. She had never heard Elphie so angry before.

Fiyero only provided the comfort he thought his ex needed and nothing more.

"Then we will die fighting for a good cause!" Tahj yelled back with as much force.

"I can't let you do that to little Ella! She has done nothing wrong! She deserves to be raised by Glinda and only Glinda!" Elphaba tried to hit at Tahj's weak spot.

It worked.

Tahj's headstrong attitude began to waver as he thought of the effects all of this would have on Ella.

"If I get Glinda to safety I am coming back for you. That's non-negotiable." Tahj narrowed his eyes at Elphaba.

"Deal." Elphaba agreed knowing this was the only way for Glinda to be safe.

Tahj hated what he was saying but deep down he knew that Elphaba was correct. He did need to get Glinda to safety before something bad happened to both of Ella's parents.

"Glinda we need to leave." Tahj averted his eyes from Elphaba's and stared at Glinda.

"We can't leave them here!" Glinda looked into Fiyero's eyes hoping he would back her up.

It pained Elphaba to watch Glinda ignore her and obviously hit on Fiyero.

Fiyero didn't want to leave Elphaba alone in this place and so he agreed to stay.

A couple of seconds before the two of them were to leave, Elphaba managed to grab Glinda and pull her aside.

"Glinda if I…if I never get to tell you this again…" Elphaba trailed off as tears spilled down her cheeks. She couldn't stomach that this might be the last time she would ever see her love. "I want you to know that I love you with my heart and soul. I love you and I always will. I love Ella too. Don't ever forget that." Elphaba continued to cry as she reached forward and placed a kiss on Glinda's forehead.

Glinda was so confused as to what was going on. Was Elphaba confessing her love for the blonde? Was Ella someone else that Elphaba was also in love with? She didn't understand.

Then she felt Elphaba kiss her forehead and it no longer mattered. Her confusion went away as she felt Elphaba's green lips upon her pale skin. She didn't care that Fiyero was watching.

"I won't." Glinda smiled weakly. She might not understand the impact of Elphaba's words but she understood that she meant them. She had never seen Elphaba more upset.

Glinda looked into Elphaba's eye's for a little while before reached out a hand to brush the tears that had fallen from the green girl's eyes.

"You don't want to burn yourself." She said as she wiped the tears away. She felt Elphaba tense at her comment.

"What? Did I do something wrong?" Glinda asked as she saw Elphaba look at her with eyes she had never seen before.

"Burn?" Elphaba managed to choke out.

"Yeah…" Glinda said slowly.

Elphaba was about to say something more when Tahj reached the two and finally grabbed the blonde away from Elphaba's grasp.

"I've been meaning to tell you." Tahj looked away from Elphaba's eyes. He couldn't stare into the eyes that he knew were about to be filled with guilt, shame, and sadness. "Glinda knocked her head really hard…"

Elphaba eye's opened wide. Was Glinda okay?

"What do you mean?" Elphaba asked frantically as she stared at Glinda. The blonde seemed to be doing fine to her.

"She has amnesia." Tahj spat out and then tried to make the situation sound better. "It's not the horrible kind…but she doesn't remember the past five years or so."

Elphaba's eyes widened in horror at the thought of what she had done to her lover. Glinda couldn't remember that they were in love and it was all her fault.

"We have to go." Tahj spoke softly to Glinda who nodded in return. He couldn't stand around anymore.

"I will be back for you." Tahj reassured the two that he would be back.

Elphaba had still not spoken a word yet. It was as if she had gone catatonic.

"I love you." Glinda reached for Fiyero's arm and their hands linked for a moment.

Elphaba turned her head to watch this disgusting display of affection. It was too much. She had caused Glinda to forget everything they had worked so hard for. Glinda was still in love with Fiyero in her mind.

Elphaba's breathing became labored as a panic attack took over. She couldn't breath.

The green woman gasped for air as the world began to spin around her. She didn't need this. Not here, not right now.

"Elphaba!" Tahj screeched before running over to catch the falling woman.

Elphaba fell into the arms of Tahj as she tried to gasp for air. He lungs were restricting as her heart ruptured with pain. Every time she would inhale, her throat closed up until finally she threw up the contents in her stomach.

Her throat made way for her dry heaves allowing air to enter. She was finally beginning to breath normally again.

"Elphie!" Glinda rushed over once she has seen her green friend fall.

"Back off Glinda." Tahj warned, knowing that Elphaba seeing Glinda all over would make everything worse.

"We need to go!" Tahj sat Elphaba down on the ground once he saw she was gaining control. He knew that he needed to get Glinda out of here before the green woman would gain complete consciousness.

"I can't leave her like this!" Glinda complained but her complaints fell on deaf ears.

Tahj lifted Glinda over his shoulder and carried her out of the room.

**XXX**

"Don't touch me!" Elphaba backed away as Fiyero tried to offer her a helping hand to stand up.

"Fae, I'm sorry about all of that!" He tried to apologize. "I didn't know what was going on either. I would never intentionally hurt you."

Elphaba looked towards Fiyero as tears rose in her eyes once again.

Fiyero knelt down beside his wounded friend. He knew what a broken heart felt like and so he knew she was only angry with him because she was so sad.

"I never meant to hurt her." Elphaba shook her head back and forth and curled her knees up to her chest.

"I know." Fiyero responded and reached out a hand to comfort Elphaba.

Elphaba didn't back away from this touch as sobs began to shake her body.

She cried for a couple of minutes trying to work through what had just happened.

**XXX**

Tahj and Glinda exited the way they had come in and started back towards Glinda's palace.

Tahj was surprised at how easy it had been to gain access to Elphaba and Fiyero. They had accidentally stumbled upon them while searching for a way into the actual cells. Thank Oz for accidents.

"I can't believe you made us leave them there!" Glinda pouted the whole way home. "Fiyero looked like he was being beaten up and Elphie had gone crazy in the head!"

Tahj sighed. If only Glinda knew that Elphaba had not gone crazy, and that they truly did love one another.

"You need to go take care of Ella. I will go back for them by myself." Tahj reassured Glinda that he wouldn't leave them behind.

Glinda sighed in frustration. She was tired of everyone telling her to do stuff with people she didn't even know.

"Who the hell is Ella?" Glinda demanded to know as she walked next to Tahj. He had finally set her down.

"Your daughter." Tahj replied, not even trying to sugarcoat anything anymore.

"Daughter?" Glinda was shocked. She had a daughter that she didn't know about? How could this be?

"Who's the father?" Glinda demanded to know to make sure Tahj wasn't talking about someone else's kid.

"One of the people you left back in that prison room." Tahj sighed. He knew Glinda would take that to mean Fiyero and technically he was, but Tahj was really talking about Elphaba. Elphaba had been more of a father to Ella than Fiyero ever would.

"I have a kid with Fiyero!" Glinda bubbled at hearing this news. She now understood the concept that somehow she had forgotten a lot of things and so she was trying to deal with all of this.

"Technically." Tahj responded, making sure not to say a down right yes.

Glinda cheered up immediately. All thoughts of hating the man next to her left her head. She had apparently gotten everything she had ever wanted: A house, a daughter, and a husband. The only problem now was getting her husband and her best friend out a jail.

"So I'm married?" She needed to make sure before she started assuming the Fiyero was her husband. She didn't know why he wouldn't be though.

"You are getting married in a couple of months." Tahj confirmed, misleading Glinda even more.

Glinda frowned a little bit. Why would she have a child out of wedlock?

"Fiyero can be a bit stubborn sometimes." Glinda tried to provide an explanation as to why the two of them were not married yet. She didn't want to seem like she was an improper lady.

Tahj chuckled. "I don't know about that one but Miss Elphaba sure seems to be."

Glinda cocked her head to the side and looked questioningly towards Tahj.

"Glinda I'm going to let you in on something that you might not be ready to hear just yet." Tahj figured now was as good of a time as any to inform Glinda of her relationship with the green woman.

"What?" Glinda perked up immediately. She loved hearing some gossip.

"You and Fiyero are no longer in a relationship. You haven't been for nearly three and a half years." He spoke carefully.

"Well if we are not together then who am I marrying?" Glinda tried to throw Tahj off with a trick question. She figured he was just lying and wanted Glinda all to himself.

"Do you really want to know?" Tahj warned.

"Yes." Glinda stopped walked and stood straight in front of Tahj. She was unwilling to move without a proper explanation.

"Elphaba." Tahj stated. "You're going to marry Elphaba."

Glinda's jaw dropped at the name spoken to her.

**XXX**

Elphaba was asleep on her cot when a noise in the distance startled her awake. She had not been asleep for more than fifteen minutes.

"Sorry." Fiyero apologized as he tripped over the legs of the table.

Elphaba yawned and sat up leaning on her hands and elbows.

"What are you doing up?" Elphaba asked as her eyes focused on Fiyero's figure in the dark.

"I thought that since there are two of us we should take turns keeping an eye out on what's going on. Since you fell asleep I decided I'd take first shift." Fiyero made his way over to Elphaba and offered her some water.

Elphaba graciously accepted the water and downed it in a couple of seconds. It had been a couple of days since Tahj and Glinda had left and she had given up her not eating rule. She didn't want to cause more harm to her baby than she was to herself.

"That's a good idea." Elphaba agreed.

Fiyero smiled in response. "Well we were two of the most hunted people in all of Oz. It comes from habit I suppose." He shrugged.

Elphaba smiled. Over the past few days not a whole lot had changed in the prison. Leland's voice would taunt them time after time, but nothing more than before. Fiyero had made sure Elphaba was as comfortable as she could be in her current state. She was about three months pregnant and barely showing, but there was a slight bump. This reminded Fiyero that Elphaba was off limits to him. He accepted the fact and tried to pamper his ex-lover.

If he couldn't be there for Ella, he was sure going to try and be there for Elphaba's baby. He knew that Elphaba had always wanted a baby and now she was getting her wish. Fiyero wouldn't let anything happen to the little girl Elphaba worked so hard to obtain.

"Are you sure you want first shift though? You haven't slept in awhile." Elphaba tried to get out of bed but was pushed back by Fiyero.

"I'm positive. I don't need as much sleep as a pregnant lady does." Fiyero chuckled and patted Elphaba's stomach.

Elphaba tensed and Fiyero immediately regretted bringing up her pregnancy. He knew it was a sore subject for the green woman, seeing as how Glinda had forgotten all about Elphaba's pregnancy.

"I'm sorry Fae." He apologized and removed his hand.

"It's okay." She sighed and moved her hand to where Fiyero's had been. "Do you think she'll ever be born? I mean, do you think we'll ever make it out of here alive?"

"I know she will and I know that we will all make it out of here alive. You can return to Glinda then." Fiyero smiled trying to offer up some reassurance.

"You too." Elphaba looked into Fiyero's eyes.

Fiyero looked down towards the ground to avoid Elphaba's gaze.

"I don't think I can do that. Glinda doesn't want me around and after all that I've done to her…" He trailed off.

"I'll talk to her." Elphaba pleaded. She had grown too close to Fiyero in the past couple of days to let him walk out of their lives completely. There was a part of her that needed him around.

Fiyero chuckled. He couldn't understand why Elphaba was being so friendly towards him when all he had done was treat her like shit before.

"I think I prefer to be alone." He added in a serious tone. The real reason he was saying this was because it hurt too much for him to see Elphaba with another woman. Hoping that Glinda recovered her memory and all.

"You, Mr. Popularity at Shiz, prefer to be alone?" Elphaba teased.

"It'd be for the best." He added before walking back over towards the table to take a seat.

"Now sleep." He commanded the green woman. Elphaba didn't protest anymore.

She fell asleep within minutes dreaming of Ella and her daughter running around the palace playing hide-n-go seek together.

* * *

**A/N: Still having sort of a writer's block so sorry if this chapter wasn't angsty enough...i'm working on it.**


	41. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40**

It had been a couple of days since Glinda had hit her head and she still didn't remember much.

She hadn't believed what Tahj had told her on their way back to the palace. Was she really going to marry a woman? Was that even legal?

She shrugged the comment off as if it were never spoken to her. She couldn't be marrying Elphie, she just couldn't. It didn't make sense to her. Elphaba and her were just friends, best friends. Why would they ever get married?

It was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore such a comment though. As the days passed and Glinda's memory had not returned she grew very frustrated. She needed to know what had changed between her and Elphie. She needed to know if she really loved the green woman back.

One afternoon while she sat contemplating marriage to her best friend, Ella came into the room looking for her mom.

"Mommy!" Ella's face lit up as she saw her mother sitting on the couch.

Glinda looked over to where the voice came from and saw the little girl everyone said was her daughter standing there. It was hard for her to believe this was her child. If the kid hadn't looked exactly like her, she wouldn't have believed it herself.

"Hello Ella." Glinda stated formally, afraid of how to approach a little child.

Ella frowned. Tahj had told her that her mommy wasn't feeling good and so she might act strange around her, but this was something bigger. Ella could tell that she wasn't told the whole truth. Her mother wasn't acting like she used to around Ella. She was distant.

"I'm hungry mommy." Ella whined and went over to where her mother sat on the couch.

"Go get the cook to get you something then." Glinda stated and looked back towards her hands that were in her lap. She didn't want to be annoyed by this child any longer than need be.

"But it's taco night." Ella tried to remind her mom. Taco night was their special night together. No matter how busy Glinda would be, she would always set aside time to go and eat with her daughter.

"That's nice." Glinda waved it off having no idea what was so important about taco night. "Go eat some tacos."

"Aren't you comings?" Ella asked her mother.

"I'm busy right now." Glinda lied and looked away from Ella.

Ella's eyes watered. She couldn't understand why her mother was being so distant, and Elphaba had disappeared. Everything had changed after that day at the zoo.

Ella's tears turned into audible cries causing Glinda to look back towards her daughter.

"What's the matter?" Glinda was afraid to touch the child for fear she might make her cry even more.

Ella continued to cry. She wanted her mommy to hold her and tell her everything would be okay. Glinda remained still unsure of what to do.

"Do you not want tacos? Is that it?" Glinda tried to guess what caused the child to break down in tears.

"I want my mommy back." Ella whispered through her tears. This woman in front of her was not her mommy. Her mother wouldn't stand by and watch her cry without doing anything.

Glinda didn't know much but she did know that she was Ella's mother.

"I am right here." Glinda stated and her heart started to feel something for the fragile girl in front of her.

"No." Ella shook her head back and forth. "Mommy and Elphie are gone." She cried some more.

Glinda was surprised to hear Ella say Elphaba's nickname. Perhaps her and Elphie _were_ more than just friends.

"Mommy is right here and Elphie will be soon." Glinda tried to comfort her daughter with words. She didn't realize that Ella didn't need words. She just needed to be held and told that everything was going to be okay.

"Your not my mommy." Ella dropped to the floor, too weak to keep her fragile body up.

Something snapped in that moment that Ella fell to the floor crying. Glinda suddenly felt a wave of emotion hit her as her three-year-old child crumpled onto the floor.

She immediately got up from her position on the couch and crouched down next to the shaking child. Tears spilled from her own eyes.

"Shh…it's okay." Glinda picked up the broken child and held her against her while she whispered words of reassurance.

Ella continued to cry into her mother's chest as Glinda held her.

"Don't cry sweetheart. I'm right here. It's all going to be okay." Glinda held onto her daughter and rocked the two back and forth. She didn't know what strange event had just taken place that caused her to hold Ella so tight. She didn't want to let go of the child though.

Ella's crying slowed down as her mother whispered reassurances in her ear and rocked them back and forth. Ella felt protected once again. Glinda was beginning to act more like the mother she knew and loved, and less like the ghost that had occupied her body for the past few days.

Glinda continued to hold on to her daughter tightly as she stood up from the floor. She moved them both over to the couch and sat down. Tear's spilling down her own cheeks at watching this innocent and defenseless child suffer.

"It's all over now." Glinda stroked Ella's back. "We can go get taco's if you want." She smiled trying to gain the girl's trust again.

Ella finally pulled back her tear-stained head and wiped at her eyes to still the tears.

"We can?" She choked out as she looked into her mother's eyes.

Glinda was suddenly filled with guilt. How could she have hurt this child so badly? She swallowed back a lump in her throat before speaking.

"Yeah." She smiled to her daughter. "We can eat all of the tacos that we want." She reached out her hand and wiped away a couple of tears that lingered on her daughter's cheeks.

"And ice cream too?" Ella tried to keep from crying any more. Her mother was now holding on to her. Everything was going to be okay.

"Ice cream too." Glinda smiled towards her daughter and placed a quick kiss on the child's cheek.

The two Upland's sat on the coach for a little while longer while Ella tried to center herself. Glinda was grateful that Ella was so forgiving. She couldn't believe she had acted like such a beast to this poor child. She must have frightened her half to death.

"Carry me?" Ella asked needy. She didn't want to let go of her mother just yet.

"Of course." Glinda felt guilty at the vulnerability in her child's voice.

She lifted the two of them off of the coach and carried Ella in her arms down to the kitchen. The child buried her head in the crook of her mother's neck the whole way. She was too afraid to distance herself at all.

**XXX**

"Ella sweetheart, you have to let go of me to eat." Glinda tried to pry the little girl's fingers from around her neck without much success. She knew Ella had to be frightened, but this was taking it a little too far.

Ella continued to hold tightly to her mother not wanting to let go. She thought that if she let go then Glinda would return to her old state. She couldn't afford for that to happen again.

"I'm not going to go anywhere." Glinda tried to convince her daughter that she wasn't going anywhere. It didn't seem to help. Ella only clung tighter. Her knuckles were beginning to whiten at the grasp she had on Glinda's neck.

Glinda sighed and resigned to the fact that she would have to eat with a child attached to her.

Twenty minutes into the meal Tahj entered the kitchen to grab a drink. When he looked over and saw the pair an amused expression spread across his face.

"Is it just me or did you grow a Siamese twin?" Tahj chuckled and made his way over to Glinda and Ella.

The three-year-old lifted her head up to see who the stranger was. She smiled when she saw a familiar face.

"This is her doing." Glinda pointed to the leech attached to her side.

Tahj looked over to Ella and gave her a wink. "Good job Ella. Someone's got to start reminding your mother of her job around here."

Ella giggled and let one hand go from Glinda as she reached for some beans on their shared plate.

"Ella use a fork!" Glinda swatted at the child's hand as she picked up the food with her hand.

Ella turned back towards her mother afraid that she was turning back into the beast that she had been for the past few days. She quickly returned her arm to her mother's neck and refused to let go.

Glinda sighed as she obviously scared Ella. She hadn't meant to, she just said one thing harshly and the child took it the wrong way.

Tahj looked over to Glinda to see the frustration on her face. She was apparently doing better with this whole parenting thing, but it still seemed a million years away to her.

"How are you holding up?" Tahj asked his friend. He was concerned for her.

"All right I suppose." Glinda shrugged. "Although my leg and neck are going numb at the moment." She chuckled at the current situation.

Tahj smiled back towards his friend. "I'm glad you're doing okay. Your memory will return to you in time. I know it will."

Glinda chose to ignore the comment and ask a question instead.

"So when are you going to go back for Fiyero and Elphaba?" She tried to shift Ella onto her shoulder so she could shield her ears from hearing too much that might upset her.

"Tonight." Tahj replied anxiously. The impending attack on Southstairs was making him extremely nervous. The longer he waited, the more it built up. What if it was too late for their friends?

"Are you sure I can't come with you?" Glinda begged Tahj to take her with him. She needed to save the two people who meant the world to her. Then she might be able to figure out this whole marriage situation.

"Positive. You need to take care of the little one." Tahj eyed Ella lying in Glinda's lap.

Glinda sighed. She felt useless. She wasn't allowed to help because she was stuck at home babysitting.

"This is non-negotiable Glinda. Ella needs you here and Elphaba would kill me if I let you come along. Do you remember what she said to you?" Tahj knew that allowing Glinda to come was not an option. He needed to do this alone.

"Yes. She told me that she loved me and Ella and that we needed to stay safe." Glinda looked back towards her food in defeat. Elphaba must really care about her and Ella if she was risking an unknown fate to keep Glinda safe.

"Exactly. You and Ella need to be safe. I will return with both Fiyero and Elphaba." Tahj made to get up from the table but was held in place by Glinda.

Glinda held Tahj's hand in her own and looked up into his eyes. He was her last hope to get the two of her love's back.

"Please bring them back to me safely." Glinda pleaded.

Tahj smiled and assured the blonde that he would. Then he was gone.

**XXX**

When the two Upland's had finally finished eating, Glinda took them both upstairs to go bathe.

Ella's nanny usually took care of Ella's bath but since she was in no way going to let go of Glinda anytime soon, the blonde had to do it.

She turned the water on in Ella's bathtub as she helped the child to remove her clothing.

Once the water was cool enough, Ella stepped into the tub followed closely by Glinda. The blonde figured she might as well take her bath at the same time since Ella was unwilling to move one foot away from her.

Five minutes into the bath Glinda reached over to grab a cup and that's when she noticed a scar on Ella's right shoulder.

"Ella sweetheart, where did you get that scar?" Glinda touched the scar along Ella's back. There was something very familiar about that particular scar that the blonde couldn't place.

"I don't know." Ella shrugged and went back to splashing in the water. She had no idea she even had a scar on her right shoulder.

Glinda continued to stare at the scar for a little while. She traced the outline of it and memorized its shape. There was something oddly familiar about the placement of the scar, but she just couldn't remember.

The memory was in the back of her head, it was just out of reach. Glinda was becoming increasingly frustrated as she stared at the scar. She should be able to remember where her daughter obtained such a nasty scar.

"Mommy?" Ella turned around to look at her mother when she had been silent for a very long time.

Glinda snapped out of her trance to look upon her daughter's face.

"Yes sweetheart?" Glinda questioned, never removing her hand from the scar.

"I think Sammy gave me that." Ella had been trying to remember who had given her that scar ever since her mother asked her. She had finally remembered.

Glinda tried to absorb Ella's words. The name Sammy sounded so familiar to her.

"Was Sammy a dog?" she ventured.

"Yeah." Ella nodded her head. Sammy was her childhood pet. They had had to take him to a nice farm when he accidentally bit Ella one day while the two were playing. It took Ella so long to remember because it had been a year or so since they had had that dog.

Glinda surprised herself by knowing that Sammy was a dog. Maybe her memory was coming back to her. She decided to ask a couple more questions.

"Did Sammy bite you?" Glinda asked as she traced the scar that was shaped sort of like a crescent moon.

"Yeah." Ella replied. "It hurt too." She narrowed her eyes at the memory.

Glinda suddenly felt sorry for Ella. This child was so tiny, and to have a bite mark that left this big of a scar had to have hurt like hell.

Ella continued to splash around and play with her toys while Glinda attempted to wash them both. It was proving difficult. The two of them could not fit in the same tub.

When everything was all done and the two were dried off, Glinda carried Ella in her robe down to get some bedtime ice cream snack.

**XXX**

"Elphie likes rocky road." Ella randomly stated as she picked up a spoonful of her ice cream.

Glinda looked up at hearing her daughter talk so freely about Elphaba. She wondering how close the two of them really were. Had Elphaba helped raise Ella to be the child that she was today? She hated not remembering.

"Do you and Elphie hang out a lot?" Glinda asked casually as she wiped some ice cream away from Ella's mouth.

"Yep. You work a lot." Ella stated which made Glinda feel a little guilty.

"Do you like Elphie and mommy together?" Glinda wanted to know her daughter's opinion on the subject.

"Yep." The three-year-old said before grabbing another scoop of ice cream.

"Does she treat you well?" Glinda tried to use Ella as a spy to her forgotten memories.

"Yep. She loves me." Ella grinned from ear to ear.

Glinda smiled at her daughter that was obviously taken with Elphaba. Maybe if she never regained her memory she could see how things went with Elphaba. Anyone who Ella liked so much had to have been good for her.

"And does your daddy treat you just as good as Elphie?" Glinda was curious to see how Fiyero interacted with their child.

Ella frowned and put her spoon down.

"You said daddy was dead." Ella began to tear up once again. Why would her mother bring up a subject that she knew upset her so much?

Glinda's eyes went wide. Fiyero was not dead! She would have never told her daughter that unless he actually was or unless he was a total douche.

Glinda remembered back to what Tahj had told her. He had said that Ella's father was back in the prison cell that they left. He also said that Fiyero was technically her father. What the hell did technically mean? He made it sound like Fiyero only contributed in the sex department and then left.

"I'm sorry sweetie, I didn't mean to upset you." Glinda hugged her daughter and tried to work through what Tahj had told her.

"It's okay." Ella sniffled. "I already gots a new daddy."

Glinda looked confused. Who was Ella's new dad?

"Who?" she asked her daughter, hoping the answer was someone she knew.

"You said Elphie was my daddy now." Ella explained to her mother about their conversation that had taken place over the adoption.

This whole Elphaba loving Glinda thing had gone a lot further than she initially thought. Not only was she told that she was engaged to be married, but she was also told that Elphie was now the adoptive 'father' of her child. It was almost too much.

"I think it's time for bed." Glinda stated before picking Ella up to carry her upstairs.

**XXX**

"Can I sleep with you?" Ella pouted her lips and looked with puppy eyes up at her mother.

Glinda sighed. She needed some time by herself to contemplate all of what she had just learned. She wasn't about to deny Ella's request however. She had caused that child too much pain earlier.

"Of course." Glinda smiled and walked towards her room with her daughter.

When the two of them arrived, Glinda walked over and placed Ella in bed beside her.

The three-year-old quickly huddled up to be near Glinda when she lay down.

"Can you tell me a story?" Ella asked as she closed her eyes.

"Umm…" Glinda tried to think of a good story to tell her daughter. "All right." She agreed when one finally came to mind.

"There once was a princess who lived far far away in the tallest tower of a castle. The castle was surround by a dragon and so anytime someone tried to free the princess, they would meet a cruel fate. After years of trying to save the princess, the princes gave up trying. They all knew what their fate held in store for them if they would try and save the princess." Glinda told the story to her daughter as she rubbed comforting circles on her back.

"No one would save her?" Ella asked innocently. Glinda couldn't help but smile at her daughter's tone.

"Nope. Until one day this brave woman came along who wasn't a princess. She was just an average person who hated seeing hundreds of men cower away in the face of a dragon."

Ella giggled slightly. "Did she save the princess?"

"Well now you ruined the ending." Glinda chuckled. Her daughter was smarter than she gave her credit for.

"Please finish." Ella closed her eyes willing Glinda's voice to lull her to sleep.

"Well when the average woman saw that the dragon had a weak spot, she took advantage of it. When the dragon wasn't looking, she snuck past him and into the princess's tower. When she arrived the princess was so surprised to see a female come to her rescue that she didn't know what to do. She had only been taught to act like a lady and kiss whoever her brave savior was. But when she saw that a woman came to save her she didn't know what to do." Glinda smiled as she felt her daughter relax. When she thought she had drifted asleep, Ella spoke up.

"So what did she do?" Ella yawned and asked her mother to continue.

"She kissed her on the cheek and the two of them became best friends." Glinda smiled as she concluded her story.

Ella had drifted off to sleep and her light snoring began to fill the air. The rhythmic sound was enough to put Glinda to sleep too.


	42. Chapter 41

**A/N: Two chapters in one night…do you guys love me or what? Haha. Anyways…I have decided to change the rating of this story to M...yes, yes something I said I would never do. Well I changed my mind. But I am leaving it in the T section so all of my readers who have not subscribed, which you should, can find it. And it is pretty graphic M too…so if you don't want to read then I suggest you skip the second set of italics.**

**SO THIS IS A WARNING!! THIS IS ****M**** RATED NOW!!**

**Also as a side note…everything in italics is a dream. So please enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 41**

_Glinda stood outside in the courtyard. It was a nice summer day and so she decided to take Ella out for a stroll in her new stroller. She was just about to take Ella out to play when her husband walked up to her._

"_I'm going to the store." He stated before kissing her on the cheek._

_Glinda watched as her husband disappeared without saying anything to her daughter. She sighed thinking that was the best it would ever be. Her husband refused to love her child because he was not the rightful father._

_Glinda turned her attention back to her daughter and lifted her from the stroller._

"_Hey little Ella." She smiled to her almost two-year-old daughter._

"_Mama!" Ella clapped her hands excitedly as she was placed in a swing._

_Glinda smiled at her beautiful daughter and went behind to push her. The two Upland's remained outside swinging a little while longer._

_It was beginning to get a little cloudy out and Glinda grew tired of pushing Ella. She was about to lift her from the swing when she saw her husband return with some bags in hand._

_Being the great wife that she was, she went over to help him with the groceries leaving Ella in the swing._

_Glinda disappeared into the house for two seconds before she heard a scream coming from her daughter. She dropped the bag that was in her hand and raced back outside to see what had happened to Ella._

_As she approached the swing she saw their boxer/lab Sammy attacking Ella._

_Glinda froze in terror for a second before running to the rescue of her child._

_As she approached the swing, she put herself in between Ella and the dog. The dog continued to snap its fangs as the child cried and screamed bloody murder._

_If one swift move Glinda reached out her foot to kick the dog, only the dog was too quick and took a bite at her leg._

_Glinda screamed as sharp fangs entered her skin. She didn't care though. All she cared about was keeping this beast away from her child._

"_HELP!" She screamed for her husband to come help her._

_Glinda's husband heard her scream and came running out of the house. He was quick to tackle the dog to the ground and place a muzzle over its mouth._

_Glinda whimpered as she tried to stand and grab her daughter. She noticed then that Ella was bleeding profusely from her right shoulder. The dog had taken a huge chuck out of it._

_Glinda cried as she picked up her daughter and ran to the infirmary. She didn't care how much pain she was in._

_An hour later when Ella was all stitched up and sleeping peacefully, the doctor informed her that she had sustained a major injury and there would definitely be a scar._

_Glinda cried herself to sleep that night thinking that it was all her fault. She shouldn't have left Ella alone and defenseless like that. She should have never trusted her husband's dog Sammy._

_The next morning Glinda told her husband to go take care of the dog. And he did._

**XXX**

Glinda was started awake as thunder crashed in the distance. She was sweating copiously and her nightgown clung to her skin. She looked over to see her daughter sleeping peacefully next to her. Glinda let out a sigh of relief at having her daughter safe and sound next to her.

That's when it hit Glinda. She remembered her dream. It was very vivid, as if it had just happened. She was feeling the after affects of a panic attack as she tried to regain her breath.

She didn't know if she could believe this memory or not. So much had gone on for the past few days that she didn't know what to believe anymore.

Carefully she pulled back the blanket that was on top of her to examine her left leg. She gulped as she saw a crescent shaped scar just as Ella had on her shoulder.

It wasn't a dream. It really did happen. Glinda was beginning to remember.

**XXX**

The next morning when Ella awoke she found the bed to be empty. Scared of where her mother might be she called out to her.

"Mommy." Ella declared while trying to look around the room.

"Mommy!" Ella repeated a little more frantically. She was beginning to panic. She couldn't lose her mother as well as Elphie.

Before she called out for a third time, Glinda appeared from the bathroom. Ella immediately sighed in relief.

"Good morning sweetheart." Glinda smiled to her daughter as she tried to put earrings in.

"Morning mommy!" Ella bubbled as she reached out her arms to be held.

"If I hold you this time will you let me go?" Glinda joked before picking her daughter up.

Ella nodded her head and so Glinda picked her up and gave her a good morning hug. After a few seconds she placed the child back down. She still needed to get ready for the day.

"Will you be okay with your nanny while I go to a doctor's appointment today?" Glinda needed to see someone about her visions to make sure they were correct.

Ella didn't like the idea but she understood that Glinda's time couldn't all be spent on her.

"Okay." She frowned and got out of bed.

"I promise to come and get you as soon as I am through." Glinda placed a kiss on the top of Ella's head before nudging her out the door.

Once Ella was gone Glinda felt free to let all of her emotions hang free. She hadn't slept after her nightmare and the affects of such were beginning to assault her brain. She felt as if she were losing it. She couldn't tell reality from fiction anymore.

Glinda went about finishing her tasks for the day and then left to go see a doctor.

**XXX**

"So what brings you in here Miss Glinda?" The doctor asked her as she took a seat on his couch.

"I need to remember who I am. I was hoping you could help me with that." Glinda looked a little uncomfortable. She was unused to these types of doctors.

"Well if it is remembering that you need then you came to the right place." The doctor assured Glinda. "Now just lay back on the couch and close your eyes."

Glinda was a little unsure, but she did as the doctor ordered.

"Now that you are comfortable relax your mind. Let all of your thoughts vanish. Focus on me and only my voice." The hypnotist started to work his magic.

"There is no one else here. No one else exists but you and me. Follow my voice and I will lead you to your answers." The doctor moved closer to Glinda.

"On the count of three I am going to snap my fingers. When I snap my fingers you will tell me what has been troubling you. One…two…three…" The hypnotist snapped his fingers and Glinda's body went limp.

"Now what is your problem?" The doctor urged an answer to come from Glinda.

"I can't remember the past five years of my life. I don't know who I am in love with." Glinda admitted. She felt a strange calm take over her senses.

"Dig deep. The memories are there." The doctor encouraged Glinda to think about the past five years.

Glinda whimpered. She couldn't remember and she wanted to so desperately.

"No crying." The doctor insisted. "Follow my voice and my voice only. What do you see when you think of love?"

"Friendship." Glinda blurted out the first answer that came to her.

"Good. Good. Do you see a specific person who had been by your side recently?" The doctor spoke with a calming voice.

"Yes." Glinda replied.

"Can you describe them to me?" the doctor asked.

"Tall, black hair, beautiful smile, gentle touch, small hands, smart…" Glinda was about to unconsciously say green when the doctor interrupted her thankfully.

"Now does this remind you of anyone you know?" The doctor interrupted Glinda.

Glinda's face scrunched together as she tried to picture a name to the person she had just described.

"Yes." She admitted as the connections finally clicked.

"Good. Now I want you to focus on that special person. Try and remember what is so special about them." The doctor spoke softly.

Glinda wracked her brain for memories, but they just didn't seem to be there.

"I don't know what's so special." Glinda admitted which threw the doctor off guard.

"Think. There has to be a reason you are picturing this one person." The doctor regained his bearings.

Glinda was frustrated. This wasn't getting her anywhere.

"I am supposed to love them. We are to be wed." Glinda told the hypnotist the one bit of information she knew.

"Supposed to? Do you not?" The hypnotist tried to soothe Glinda. He could tell she was getting aggravated.

"I do but I'm not sure in what way." Glinda tried to picture a future with Elphaba in it.

The hypnotist sighed. He was getting nowhere with Glinda. She was unwilling to close herself down from outside emotions.

"On the count of three you will awake. One…Two…Three." The doctor counted.

Glinda opened her eyes and looked towards the doctor.

"Anything?" She asked him curious to what she had said.

"No not really. The only thing that got us semi anywhere was when you admitted that you were thinking about someone with raven hair who was tall."

Glinda blinked back her tears as she heard this man describe Elphaba.

Could she really love her best friend and have her return her feelings? Glinda did openly flirt with Elphaba sometimes, but she figured it was all fun and games. She didn't know it would actually lead them anywhere.

"I should go then." Glinda offered and got up from the coach. She was just wasting time trying to harp on the past. It was lost to her.

**XXX**

When Glinda arrived back home and Tahj had still not resurfaced she was getting a little worried. His plan should have worked by now.

She shrugged it off. Maybe they were just waiting for nightfall to execute their plan. They had probably arrived too late last night to do anything. It was still five hours until the sun was supposed to set.

When Glinda entered the palace she was surprised to see Ella waiting downstairs for her.

"Mommy!" Ella yelled and ran into her mother's arms.

Glinda hugged her daughter and lifted her to rest upon her hip.

"Isn't it near your nap time?" Glinda asked and eyed the nanny.

"I wanted to wait for you!" Ella said excitedly. "We can nap together!"

Glinda would have ignored her childish request had she not be so tied herself. She agreed that a nap was a good thing and carried Ella up to her room.

**XXX**

"Tell me another story." Ella asked her mother as she was tucked in under the covers.

"Not for your nap. Maybe tonight sweetheart." Glinda replied and kissed the top of Ella's head. She was too tired to make up some random story.

Ella of course whined but eventually accepted the fact that she wasn't going to be read a bedtime story.

The two settled in for a nice afternoon nap.

Ella was the first to fall asleep, followed quickly by Glinda.

**XXX**

"_Oh Elphie," Glinda writhed underneath Elphaba who had her pinned to a bench in what looked like a gazebo. "Don't stop." She begged the woman on top of her not to stop the pleasurable movements her hands were making on her breasts._

_Elphaba kissed Glinda harder as her hand worked it's way down to Glinda's private area._

_Glinda moaned into the kiss she was sharing with Elphaba as she felt the green woman tug at her underwear._

_It took no time at all for the blonde to shimmy out of them and toss them aside. She was ready for Elphaba to fill her with something she had craved for the past few weeks._

_Elphaba broke off from kissing Glinda to look into her eyes. Glinda grunted in the displeasure at having Elphaba remove her lips. She looked up to see what the hold up was, when she was met with sparkling chocolate eyes._

"_I love you Glin." Elphaba smiled and moved her hand up to stroke the blonde's cheek._

_Glinda sighed into the touch. It was too much for her. Having Elphaba on top of her like this and not doing anything was not acceptable. She needed Elphie's hands to be elsewhere._

"_I love you too Elphie now please fuck me." Glinda purred into Elphaba's green ear as she used a word that she had never used until recently._

_Elphaba felt her body shudder as Glinda asked for such a request. Never had she come out so bluntly and asked to have sex. It turned the green woman on in more ways than one._

"_Anything you wish." Elphaba whispered into Glinda's ear before sucking on the lobe and teasing it with her tongue._

_Glinda squirmed under Elphie as the green woman's hand made it's way back towards her inviting center._

_Elphaba placed soft kisses along Glinda's neck as she teased the woman underneath her. She was so turned on by Glinda's begging before that she decided to make her beg even more._

_Glinda groaned in frustration as Elphaba teased around her curls without ever actually entering her._

"_Elphie please." She sighed as she arched her back to get closer to Elphaba's fingers._

"_Patience." Elphaba smirked and kissed her way down towards Glinda's breasts._

_Once Elphaba reached her final destination she placed soft kisses around the outside of Glinda's pink nipple while her hand stroked her girlfriend below._

"_Elphiieee..." Glinda whimpered as it was becoming too much for her. If Elphaba didn't enter her soon she'd have to take her own hand and do it._

_Elphaba smiled against Glinda's chest as she heard her girlfriend beg. She had to remember this for next time._

_The green woman figured she had made Glinda wait long enough. She carefully applied pressure to Glinda's pert nipple with her teeth while inserting two fingers into the warm and familiar entrance of her love._

_Elphaba sighed at the sensation she felt encompass her fingers. Glinda did a combination moan and sigh as she felt Elphaba go where only she was allowed to go._

_Elphaba moved her fingers slightly deeper, eliciting a moan from Glinda who had one hand grasped onto Elphaba's shoulder._

_Elphaba moved up to kiss her love on the lips when she sensed she was becoming overwhelmed._

_Glinda welcomed the kiss as Elphaba started a rhythmic pattern to bring her love through an intense climax._

_Glinda had to shift slightly so that Elphaba's fingers could locate that one spot that drove her wild with desire. It didn't take long until that spot was found._

_The two continued to move in tandem as their speed increased. Glinda reached an arm up to caress Elphaba's breasts as the green woman continued to stoke inside Glinda, applying pressure to that little spot every now and then._

_The only noises to occupy the gazebo were Elphaba's moans of pleasure and Glinda's screams of ecstasy as Elphaba took her through one of the most passionate climaxes she had ever felt._

_As Glinda lay still and spent underneath Elphaba's panting body, a smile began to form on her face._

"_That wasn't nice to tease me." Glinda panted as she tried to regain her breath._

_Elphaba shifted a little so that she was next to Glinda instead of on top of her._

"_You're going to pay for that." Glinda smiled deviously before taking Elphaba by surprise and trapping her underneath the blonde._

_Elphaba's eyes widened in shock as she saw the seriousness in Glinda's eyes. Uh oh. She was in for it now._

_Glinda reached down and placed a fervent kiss on the green woman's lips. Elphaba relaxed considerably. Maybe she wasn't in as much trouble as she thought she was._

_She was just about to dismiss the thought entirely when she felt Glinda reach for her arms and pin them behind her head._

"_What are you doing?" Elphaba asked as Glinda smirked and said a small chant._

_The green woman's eyes widened and her smile grew as she felt something trapping her hands where they were. She looked up to see that Glinda had conjured a pair of pink fuzzy handcuffs to cuff her to the bench._

"_I told you that you would pay." Glinda smirked before moving her hands to undress what little clothes Elphaba still had on._

_Elphaba leaned her head back and closed her eyes. If she couldn't participate then she would just have to enjoy whatever Glinda did to her._

**XXX**

Glinda jolted up in bed once again. Sweat was pouring from her forehead. Her whole body was drenched as before, but for different reasons.

Glinda didn't even have time to comprehend what her dream had meant when a rush of familiarity took hold. Glinda blinked a couple of times before crying out in happiness.

She remembered. Glinda Upland could remember.

* * *

**A/N #2: Yay! Happiness! I hope you guys enjoyed my first attempt at a sex scene…and I stress the word attempt.**


	43. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

Glinda jumped out of bed eager to tell everyone that she had her memory back. She was crying tears of happiness as she walked out the door to go find Elphie.

Halfway down the stairs it hit her. Elphie wasn't there. Elphaba and Fiyero were trapped in prison somewhere and Tahj had left to go free them.

Glinda's tears of happiness were replaced with tears of grief as she remembered how horrible she had behaved to her beloved Elphie. She couldn't let this fear take over though. She was too strong for that.

She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and ran down to her office to check the time. Tahj said he would strike at nightfall.

"Please let it not be too late." Glinda prayed as she entered her office and glanced over at the clock. The time read 5:00. The sun usually set around 8:00. She had three hours to go find her love and tell her that she was sorry for everything.

Elphaba's voice rang in Glinda's ears to stay where she was and to not endanger herself, but she didn't care. She couldn't let Tahj risk his own life to save her fiancée, without her at least trying. She needed to get her Elphie back and there was only one way. She had to go rescue her.

**XXX**

Tahj arrived at Southstairs the day before. It was too late when he arrived and his men were too tired to attack that night. They decided to wait until the next night to attack.

The head guard crouched down behind a bush as he watched the Southstairs guards escorting a prisoner inside. He looked down at his watch to check the time. 6:00. He still had to wait two hours until sunset. He wasn't willing to risk an ambush in broad daylight.

"At 8:00 we strike." Tahj turned around to see the small army who had volunteered to go save the future Mrs. Upland.

The army consisted of only seven men. It wasn't the number that worried him; it was their lack of experience. All of the younger soldiers had been the ones to volunteer. They thought that saving a damsel in distress would be some sort of power rush for them. They had never faced real danger before.

Tahj sighed as he turned back around to stare at the building. Two more hours until his plan would come into play.

**XXX**

Glinda hurried to Ella's nanny's room to tell her to take care of Ella for the night. She told her that she would explain everything when she got back and not to worry.

Once all of that was handled, Glinda hailed a carriage to drive her as far as they could take her without being noticed.

She hated sitting in a carriage because it felt as if she wasn't being proactive. But it beat the alternative of walking, which is what she would have to do once she reached the outskirts of the town that housed Southstairs.

"Can't this thing go any faster?" Glinda tapped her foot impatiently as the driver slowed down for pedestrians.

"I am going as fast as this buggy will allow." The driver informed Glinda. He sounded irritated that she would accuse him of deliberately going slow.

Glinda sat still for a couple of minutes trying to work through a plan of how to reach Southstairs in time. A smile graced her face as she thought of an alternative.

"How much for your horse?" Glinda pulled out her change purse ready to pay the driver.

"My horse?" The driver asked shocked.

"Yes your horse. I wish to purchase him." Glinda handed over a wad of cash to the driver.

The driver looked at the bills and then back up at Glinda. Was this woman serious?

"Two hundred." The driver decided on a price. Surely this woman did not have two hundred on her.

The blonde counted the money in her wallet and found she was five dollars short. She frowned at the thought that five measly dollars would keep her from her love.

"I have one hundred and ninety five. Is that enough?" Glinda offered the man the entire contents of her purse.

The driver looked at Glinda astonished. He had no idea that this woman had this much cash on her.

"Deal." He accepted the money and jumped out of the buggy to unhitch the horse.

Glinda didn't know much about riding horses but she figured how hard could it be? She had seen many people ride them and it looked simple enough.

"Here you are Miss." The driver handed the reins over to Glinda. "Are you going to need a lift?"

Glinda looked up at the massive form of the horse and gulped. She hadn't thought this through enough.

"Yes." Glinda found her voice as the driver offered her a lift into the saddle that he had. Glinda was at least grateful that she didn't have to ride bareback.

The blonde gathered her courage before motioning for the horse to start running.

A scream could be heard as the horse took off into a gallop. The noise grew increasingly quieter the farther the blonde got away from the carriage.

**XXX**

Tahj checked his watch again. 7:15. He still had forty-five minutes to wait. He was hoping the sun would be cooperative and go down on time. His men were already starting to get antsy.

"So at 8:00 you all know what to do correct?" Tahj asked the soldiers behind him.

"Yes." They all agreed that they knew the game plan. It had been all they had talked about for days.

"Good. On my command we attack." Tahj confirmed and turned his sights back towards the prison.

He was just about to turn away again when he saw a familiar face walk into the guard entrance.

Tahj had to blink a couple of times, but sure enough it was Leland. He hadn't expected Leland to be there when they attacked. His inside source had told him that he usually left for dinner around seven and didn't come back until nine.

"Damn it." Tahj cursed as he saw Leland enter the building. This was one thing he didn't need right now.

"We'll have to go to plan B." Tahj told his troops. He wasn't willing to risk Elphaba's or Fiyero's life with Leland around. It was too dangerous.

"What's plan B?" The volunteer guards all asked. They hadn't discussed a plan B.

Tahj motioned for his guards to huddle together so they could discuss an alternative route.

**XXX**

Elphaba was sitting at the table eating some of the soup they had offered her, or what she assumed was soup, when the door burst open.

Fiyero was asleep on their cot and did not notice the sudden sounds in the room. He remained motionless.

"What do you want?" Elphaba pushed herself up from the chair as Leland walked into their room.

The green woman hadn't seen Leland in person yet. She had only heard his voice over the intercom system they had.

"What do you think I want?" Leland narrowed his eyes as he got closer to the green woman.

"Stay away from me!" Elphaba shouted as she backed into the wall. She was wondering why Fiyero had not woken up yet. Had he been drugged? This was unlike him to sleep through such a commotion.

"Or you'll what?" Leland smirked. "I think I have the advantage here." He moved closer to Elphaba's shivering body.

"I will use magic on you! I am a very strong witch if you hadn't realized." Elphaba tried to speak with as much courage as she could muster.

Leland continued to smile as he walked closer to the green woman.

"Don't you think you would have escaped here sooner if you could just magic yourself out? I'm not that stupid you know. I had this room buffered against magic. You are defenseless." Leland was now mere inches from the woman's face.

Elphaba gulped. He was right. She had tried to escape using magic, only it hadn't worked and she didn't know why. She understood now that magic would not work in this room.

"So in here you are nothing but a poor defenseless woman." Leland smirked before he reached up a hand to stroke Elphaba's cheek.

The green woman paled as she felt Leland touch her face. She was too weak and small to fight off an attack. They had fed her nothing but soup for days. She barely had enough in her to stand, let alone defend herself.

"Such a pretty face." Leland continued to stroke her cheek. "It's a shame that it was wasted on some filthy whore and her bastard child."

Elphaba tensed up as she heard Leland talk about Glinda and Ella. That's where she drew the line. He may assault her all he wanted, but when he brought Glinda and Ella into it she couldn't take it any longer.

Fury filled Elphaba's eyes as she gathered all the strength she had and kicked him backwards into the table.

Leland stumbled a couple of times and almost lost his balance but that was all. The kick was not enough to even faze him. He smirked as he regained his balance and rubbed at the spot Elphaba's had just kicked.

"It seems the Wicked Witch is getting angry now." Leland laughed devilishly as he made his way back towards the green woman. "Don't make me tie you up."

Elphaba's breath quickened as she saw Leland regain his composure and walk back towards her. She was shaking.

"Please don't hurt me. I'll do anything." Elphaba pleaded with the man not to hurt her. It wasn't really for her sake, as much as it was for the baby's. She couldn't let anything happen to the part of her she shared with Glinda.

"Anything?" Leland raised an eyebrow as he sauntered back to the frightened woman.

Elphaba knew she was going to regret agreeing to Leland but she had no other option. Tahj had not returned for them and she was beginning to doubt he ever would.

"Anything." Elphaba agreed. She felt as if she had just signed her soul over to the devil.

Leland smirked as he finally got his wish.

"I am going to fuck you so good that you will have to like men when I'm through with you." Leland watched as Elphaba's face went from frightened to terrified. It made him feel good having this much power over one person.

"An..and what if I say no?" Elphaba tried to fight back the tears that rose in her eyes. She didn't want this. She wanted the last person she would ever have sex with to be Glinda, not this hideous man, and not by force.

"I don't think that's an option." He sneered. "Unless of course you want the whole world to know of you and Glinda. The Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good. What a controversy that would be." Leland chuckled knowing that he had won.

Elphaba's tears no longer remained in check. They fell freely down her cheeks as she felt Leland grab a hold of her arm and push her to her ground. He was on top of her in a matter of seconds.

The green woman closed her eyes and tried to imagine Glinda and Ella. She needed to see happy faces and think of happy memories. She would not let this man turn her into a monster completely.

"Help!" Elphaba called out with one last shred of hope that Fiyero might wake up.

It didn't happen.

**XXX**

Glinda slowed her horse to a canter as she neared the outskirts of the visitor entrance to Southstairs. She remembered the plan that Tahj had said they were using and knew that she would find them here. The sun was beginning to set and so she estimated the time to be around 7:45.

The blonde sighed in relief as she reached the entrance and the sun was still out. This was a good sign. It meant that Tahj and his men were somewhere around. She had caught them in time.

Glinda dismounted the horse and tied it to a tree. She might need it for later.

She hurriedly made her was out into the open, careful to stay along the bushes so she could duck if anyone came along.

Glinda scanned the area looking for any sign of her friend. She saw none and so she decided to call out for him.

"Tahj." She called out in a whisper, mindful of her volume.

"Tahj." She repeated when she received no response.

Maybe they weren't hiding in the bushes as she assumed they were.

The blonde was just about to turn around and go to the other bushes when she felt someone grab her foot.

The blood shrieked as she lost her balance and fell to the ground.

"Shhh!" The person who had just grabbed her foot placed their hand over Glinda's mouth to silence her. "They're going to hear us!"

Glinda was afraid for a little while and then realized who the mystery man was.

"Tahj!" She whispered excitedly as a familiar face greeted her.

"Glinda what the hell are you doing here?" Tahj seemed less enthusiastic at Glinda's appearance.

"I couldn't just let you risk your life to save Elphie and not do something myself." Glinda replied as she shuffled into the bush.

"I told you to stay at home! Ella needs you!" Tahj yelled a little louder than he was supposed to. Some guards that were in the area stopped what they were doing to look in the direction of the bushes.

"Duck!" One of the young guards whispered. The nine of them ducked and kept quiet as the prison guard pretended to check on where the sound had come from.

When the guard returned to his tasks, all of the rescuers let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Go home Glinda. We don't need you getting in the way." Tahj spoke once he felt it was safe again.

"I won't be in the way." Glinda complained. "I was to save Elphie."

It took Tahj a couple of seconds to think about what Glinda was saying. Was she actually doing a selfless act for once? Was she actually doing this all for Elphie? He needed to know.

"Do you remember?" Tahj's eyes opened wide as he waited for a response.

"Yes. Now isn't the time for celebration though. We have to save Elphie." Glinda couldn't help but smile.

Tahj smiled in return. At least something good had happened. If they could have one miracle in one day, why not two?

"Welcome back Guh-linda." Tahj reached over and punched Glinda playfully on the arm. He had missed his best friend.

"Galinda? Did I really make you call me that?" Glinda asked in shock. She hadn't remembered doing that, although it was probably for the best.

Tahj chuckled. "Yes you did actually. You kept insisting that your name was Galinda with a guh. I'm glad to see that the plain ole Glinda is back." He smiled at her.

Glinda smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

Tahj chuckled again. As much as he hated putting Glinda in danger he was actually glad that she was here. It would probably be easier to get Elphaba this way.

The two friends reunited for a little while longer before Tahj finally checked his watch. 8:00. It was time.

"Follow me." Tahj whispered to the men and Glinda as he slowly crept his way out from the bush.

In all their time of reminiscing Tahj had completely forgotten that he hadn't informed Glinda of the change in plans. She had an idea of what was going on in her mind; Tahj had a completely different idea in his.

He unknowingly was leading the blonde into a trap.

* * *

_**A/N: Quick thanks to my reviewers! You guys rock! Next chapter is going to be the escape…or attempted escape. You choose which one you think will happen, haha.**_


	44. Chapter 43

_**A/N: Okay so i'm not going to lie...I really didn't like writing this chapter. I am horrible with action sequences I figured out...so I apologize if it is all too rushed. I'm working on it...**_

_**With that all said and done, please enjoy this chapter! I'm sorry if it's not up to my usual standards.**_

* * *

**Chapter 43**

"This way!" Tahj motioned for his men and Glinda to follow him.

Glinda's heart raced. This was it. It was time to go and rescue her love. She thought over the plan in her head. Tahj had told her that since Leland was not here at nights then they would go directly to Elphaba and Fiyero's cell. She still remembered where that was and had in idea of how to get back.

"Hurry up!" Tahj whispered for Glinda to hurry up. She had been lost in her thoughts.

"I'm coming." Glinda called out as she ducked behind Tahj. Some guards were walking by the entrance.

When all of the rescuers reassembled, Tahj informed them what to do.

"Okay so as soon as these guards pass we will have a one minute span to get inside the building before they circle around again. Once in the building you guys know what to do." Tahj looked down at his watch. 8:05. They had already wasted too much precious time.

All of their hearts were beating rapidly as they watched the guards disappear.

"Now!" Tahj yelled out to his guards as he took off into a sprint to the entrance.

The seven guards and Glinda followed behind him and soon enough they found themselves inside of Southstairs.

In all of the action and confusion, no one noticed Glinda trip on a root and get stuck behind.

"Follow me." Tahj informed everyone as they took off towards the area they thought Leland would be in. They needed to fight him off before they could even attempt to rescue Elphaba. Catching him off guard was their only shred of hope.

The guards soon left without another glance behind them.

**XXX**

"Damn it!" Glinda yelled as she found her shoe trapped in a root. She was about to yell to Tahj for help when she saw them close the door to the entrance. They hadn't seen her fall.

"Shit." Glinda began to panic as she tried to untangle her shoe from the web of roots. She knew she had about thirty seconds until the guards would come back and find her.

The blonde tugged and tugged at her foot, but she had really gotten it stuck. It also pained her to move it too much. She knew that she had sprained it badly in the fall.

Fifteen seconds passed and Glinda had still not managed to get her foot out from the root. She was beginning to lose all hope. The guards would come and find her. Could she pretend like an innocent victim? Would they recognize her as a possible threat? She couldn't chance it.

With ten seconds left to kill she wiggled her way out of her high heel and left it behind, sprinting and hopping the whole way to the entrance.

She had made it just in time.

**XXX**

The three guards that usually circled the perimeter of the prison came back around to where the soldiers and Glinda had just entered. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to them.

They continued to scout the area until one of the guards stopped and motioned for the other two to halt.

"What is this?" The guard who had stopped reached down near a series of roots. He picked up a pink high heel and held it up for the other two.

"It looks like a ladies shoe." One of the other guards decided to respond like a smart ass.

"Well no shit Sherlock." The guard who held the shoe grew annoyed. "But why the hell is it out here? It wasn't here the last time we checked the area."

The three guards continued to glare at the shoe a little longer.

"Here let me see that." The other guard who had not spoken yet reached out for the shoe. He examined it closely before reaching a hand inside of the heel. "It's still warm. Someone was just in it."

The other two guard's eyes shot up as they heard this bit of information.

"Sound the alarm! We have an intruder!" The guard who had discovered the shoe yelled.

The other two guards ran off in the direction to signal the alarm. They were under attack.

**XXX**

Glinda entered the building and immediately removed her other high heel. She couldn't walk with just one shoe on. She'd rather be bare footed.

After placing the shoe down she quickly surveyed the area to scout for Tahj. She sighed when she saw no signs of him or his men.

Glinda would have to catch up to them later. She knew that they were headed directly for Elphaba and Fiyero's room.

Taking a couple of moments to catch her breath she set off in the direction of Elphaba's room. She needed to get to the rest of the group.

**XXX**

"Where the hell is Glinda?" Tahj yelled as he finally noticed the absence of his friend.

"I thought she was behind us." A couple of the guards replied in unison. They all looked around but there were no signs of the perky blonde.

"Damn it." Tahj cursed. He didn't need to lose Glinda this early in the plan. She must have been sidetracked or fallen behind. He had to go back for her.

"I want you all to continue on with the plan. I am going to go find Glinda and bring her back, okay?" Tahj whispered as the eight of them were crouched behind a huge plant.

"You're leaving us here alone?" One of the youngest guards voice shook as he realized the seriousness of the situation.

"I have faith in you all. Just locate Leland and arrest him. That's all you need to do. I'll be back in a little while." Tahj felt sorry for abandoning these men, but he needed to get to Glinda. If anything happened to her there would be no point in rescuing Elphaba. The green woman would kill herself from grief.

"I'm putting Hecimeer in charge. Listen to whatever he says. I will be back." Tahj informed his followers. "And if I'm not back in twenty minutes you know what to do." The main guard gulped as he thought about the use of Plan C.

"Be safe." The guard known as Hecimeer replied.

"You too." Tahj responded before setting off in the direction they had come. He needed to find Glinda.

**XXX**

Glinda reached the door to Elphaba and Fiyero's room with little difficulty. She was surprised when she had reached the room without running into Tahj or his men. Maybe they were already inside.

The blonde steadied her breath before reaching for the door handle.

"Hold it right there!" One of the prison guards yelled as he pointed a gun in Glinda's direction.

The blonde froze and turned her head to be met with the barrel of a gun. She had been caught.

"Just what do you think you are doing?" The guard asked as he cocked the gun, ready to fire.

Glinda opened her mouth to speak but it was dry. No words would come out. She hadn't come this far to get caught by one measly guard.

When the guard received no response he fired a warning shot directly next to Glinda's ear.

The blonde jumped as she thought her life had ended. She heard the bullet sound and knew it was too late. She was going to die.

When a couple of seconds passed and she was still left standing, she slowly opened her eyes to see the guard had not shot her. She was still alive.

"I asked you a question. Now you are either going to answer me or you will pray that that warning shot had actually hit you." The guard threatened as he kept the gun pointed at Glinda.

Glinda was about to speak when she noticed a figure come up behind the guard.

It was Tahj.

A small smirk encompassed the blonde's face as she saw Tahj sneak up behind the guard. Before she knew it Tahj had grabbed the back end of the gun and flipped it over so that the gun now pointed upwards.

The prison guard was taken by surprise and had no time to react before Tahj lowed the butt of the gun and knocked the guard out.

"Thank Oz." Glinda let out a sigh of relief as the guard fell to the ground and Tahj grabbed the rifle.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Tahj yelled as he stepped over the limp body to go to Glinda.

"I thought this was where we were going." Glinda looked confused.

It suddenly dawned on Tahj that he had not informed Glinda of their change in plans. He hit himself in the head as he realized how stupid of a mistake he had made.

"We changed our plan." He explained to the blonde.

"But can't we change it back? Elphie is right in there." Glinda pointed towards the door desperate to go in. She knew that Elphaba was on the other side waiting for her.

"No! It's too dangerous." Tahj admonished the girl and tried to grab her wrists to follow him.

"I'm not leaving Elphie!" Glinda stood her ground as she pulled her wrists back. "She's in there and I know it! Why can't we just get her?"

"We will. We need to take care of Leland first." Tahj explained.

"Leland?" Glinda was utterly confused. Hadn't they said that Leland wasn't going to be there.

"Yes. Apparently our inside source was wrong. Now we need to get out of here." Tahj reached for the woman's hand again.

Glinda took a couple of seconds to assess the situation. If Leland was here then she definitely wasn't going to leave Elphaba in there. He might be hurting her.

"I'm staying." Glinda wasn't going to allow Tahj to dictate her every move. She came here for one reason and that was to save Elphie. That's just what she was going to do.

"You'll die." Tahj tried to scare the blonde away from the door.

"Then I will die for love." Glinda replied nobly.

Tahj was just about to force the blonde away from the door when she reached for the handle.

"Don't!" He yelled as he lunged to stop Glinda.

It was too late. The door was open. An alarm sound filled the air.

**XXX**

"Get off of me!" Elphaba yelled as Leland tried to unbutton her blouse.

"No!" Leland yelled back as he tore at the material. "Hold still and this won't be painful."

Elphaba continued to try and fight the man on top of her off. It was becoming too much for her. She was so weak and tired that her efforts were useless.

"You're going to enjoy this." Leland smirked as he finally tore the woman's blouse completely off of her. He licked his lips in anticipation of what he was about to do.

Elphaba cried as she felt the cold air hit her unexposed skin. If only Glinda could help her out of this.

Leland moved his hands up to caress the exposed stomach of the green woman. He reveled in the way he had total control over this woman. It turned him on in more ways than one. He reached down and began to unbutton his own pants.

Elphaba continued to thrash about and cry as she felt Leland caress his way up to her breasts. Thankfully they were still covered by a bra, but she knew it wouldn't be long until they too were exposed.

"If you plan on being difficult I am going to have to tie you up. Do you want that?" Leland spoke maliciously as he felt Elphaba's nipples harden as he caressed them.

The green woman gathered all of her strength and opened her eyes to look at the man who was attacking her.

Leland smiled as he caught sight of Elphaba's eyes staring at him.

"Way to be a good witch." He treated her as if she were a dog. Carefully he began to unzip the skirt that Elphaba had on her.

Elphaba looked into his eyes with more hate than she had ever felt for anyone. She gathered all the water that was left in her mouth and spat into his face.

Leland stopped his actions and stared down at the woman who had spit in his face. He reached his face down to Elphaba's chest and wiped the area off with her skin.

The green woman froze as she felt Leland place his head upon her chest. It didn't last very long though. He soon brought his head back up.

"You're going to pay for that!" Leland screamed before pulling himself and Elphaba up from the ground. In one swift motion he pushed the green woman into the side of the table.

Elphaba screamed as the edge of the table hit her in her spine. She had never felt pain so intense before. She crumpled to the floor heaving for breath.

Leland towered over Elphaba, glad of the effect that he was having on her.

"Now do you want to cooperate or not?" The man teased as he Picked Elphaba up by her neck and threw her up against the wall.

Elphaba couldn't find her voice. The pain was too much for her.

"I said," Leland repeated, "do you want to cooperate?" He continued to grip at Elphaba's throat.

"Y...yes." Elphaba managed to speak as she gasped for air.

"Good." Leland smiled before letting go of her throat and having her crumple to the floor. "Now be a good witch and stay still." He shouted as he moved to mount her once again.

Elphaba whimpered as she felt Leland put pressure on her already hurting back. She knew that he had done some permanent damage.

Leland continued unzipping the green woman's skirt as he was doing before. He threw the article of clothing to the side once it was off of her body.

Leland slowed for a couple of seconds to take in the sight of Elphaba's body before him. He had been correct, she was beautiful in everyway.

Elphaba closed her eyes tight as she felt her skirt being ripped away. She knew that it would only be seconds until Leland ripped off what was left and took her.

"Such a pretty girl." Leland spoke lustfully as he moved his hands over Elphaba's thighs. "You'll be even prettier with me inside of you." He smirked as he grabbed a piece of rope that he had been hiding in his pants.

He carefully tied Elphaba's arms to the legs on the table so she couldn't get away.

The green woman gasped as she felt her arms being tied. She was now rendered completely useless.

Leland pulled himself on top of Elphaba once again and began to remove his pants. He needed to take the girl in front of him before she gained any strength.

Elphaba cried out as she felt Leland tug at her bra. This was it. She was going to be raped and there was no one to save her.

Just as Elphaba had lost all hope and surrendered to the man on top of her, an alarm echoed through the halls.

"What the fuck?" Leland looked up to see that the alarm had been sounded. Someone was invading the prison.

Elphaba took Leland's momentary distraction to push her feet up towards her chest. When Leland turned back around, he was met with Elphaba's feet kicking him in the face.

Leland reeled backwards as he received a broken nose from the woman he had just been about to rape.

Before he could retaliate he felt two arms wrap around him and strangle him to the floor.

"Elphie!" Glinda cried out as she saw her love lying still on the ground.

Once the blonde saw that Tahj had control of Leland, she ran over to the green woman.

"Elphie!" Tears flowed down Glinda's face as she crashed to her knees next to her exposed love.

Elphaba was shaking from head to toe. She was going into shock.

"It's okay. I'm here." Glinda continued to cry as she reached over to untie her love's restraints. Elphaba had still not spoken one word to the blonde.

Once Glinda untied the restraints she tossed them over to Tahj who used them to tie Leland up.

"It's okay now. You're safe." Glinda's tears spilled down her cheeks as she gathered her shaking love in her arms. "I've got you." She choked out as she began to rock the two of them back and forth.

"Glinda we need to get out of here!" Tahj yelled over to Glinda. "The alarm has been sounded!" Tahj begged the blonde to get Elphaba out of here while there was still time.

Glinda only stared back at her friend. "I can't move her by myself. She's too heavy."

Tahj sighed. He was having a hard time keeping Leland contained.

"What about Fiyero?" Tahj looked over to the bed to see an unconscious Fiyero. "On second thought, never mind."

Glinda looked to see an unconscious Fiyero. Her blood boiled. This was his entire fault. Elphaba was in a catatonic state and it was all because of him.

"Tie Leland to the table and help me move Elphaba out!" Glinda yelled as she tried to stand and handle her love's weight. Elphaba was no use in the walking department. She continued to stare off into space as if she weren't really there.

Tahj took Glinda's advice and tied him to a chair. He didn't know if Fiyero was dead or alive, but his first priority was to get the two women out.

"You can't escape me!" Leland yelled as he was tied to the table. "The alarm has sounded. It's too late. My men are going to swarm in here in a few seconds!"

Glinda tensed as she heard Leland speak. He was right. They only had a few seconds to get Elphie out of here.

"Let's go!" She yelled to Tahj as he picked Elphaba up and carried her in his arms.

Tahj took a second glance back into the room before exiting with Glinda and Elphaba.

**XXX**

Hecimeer as well as the rest of Tahj's men heard the alarm sound and suddenly grew frantic. They were going to be caught.

"Go to Plan C!" The youngest soldier yelled as he reached towards Hecimeer.

"No!" Hecimeer responded forcefully as he held onto his shirt pocket protectively.

Plan C was only to be used as a last resort when all else had failed. He couldn't use Plan C and risk killing off innocent people.

The youngest soldier didn't listen to Hecimeer's response. He wanted to stay live. He didn't care about killing innocent people.

"Get away from me!" Hecimeer shouted as he was tackled to the ground by the youngest guard who grabbed at his shirt pocket.

The younger guard gained the upper hand and retrieved the little remote that was on the inside of the pocket.

"NO!" Hecimeer yelled as he saw the younger guard press the little button on the remote.

The ground below them shook as the air filled with the noise of an explosion.


	45. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44**

"You IDIOT!" Hecimeer yelled as he scrambled to his feet. "You probably just told the guards of our location!"

The young guard dropped the remote and tried to run as Hecimeer tackled him to the ground.

"Now the guards will know we're not in the area the explosion went off! They're going to come straight here!" Hecimeer yelled as he angrily punched the young guard in the face.

"Hecimeer stop!" A couple of the other guards yelled as they pulled the man off of the young guard. "We have to get out of here!"

Hecimeer hesitated for a couple of seconds before agreeing that that was the best option.

"You guys go. I'm going to try and find the captain." Hecimeer started to head in the direction of the explosion. He knew the explosives had been set near the room Elphaba and Fiyero were supposedly kept in.

"I'm coming with you." Two of the guards volunteered.

Hecimeer was in no position to argue and so he allowed them to come. The four remaining guards scampered towards the only way out.

"Keep quiet and follow me." Hecimeer ducked behind a wall as he saw a group of guards running towards the hallway they were just in.

The guards were too frazzled to bother looking around the corner as they ran past the three men.

Hecimeer sighed in relief as the ten guards passed them with no problem. That's when he noticed the direction they were going in. His eyes widened as the guards made their way towards where their men were supposed to be exiting from.

Hecimeer and the two other guards all knew that it was too late for their friends. They were trapped.

Shots filled the air followed by screams. Soon there was no noise besides the shuffling of feet.

"We have to go." Hecimeer choked back his tears as he got up to go.

The two guards quickly followed, not wanting to face the same fate as the others.

**XXX**

Fiyero awoke to the sounds of an explosion coming from outside of his room.

"Wha…what?" He shook his head trying to gain complete consciousness. He felt completely drained and weak.

Fiyero brought a hand up to his face to check and make sure he was breathing. Something was off with him and he couldn't tell what. It was almost as if someone had drugged him.

"Fae?" Fiyero called out weakly as he tried to move from the cot.

That's when he realized his legs would not move. He felt paralyzed from the waist down.

"FAE?!" Fiyero called again as he began to panic. He couldn't see what was going on around him. The room was pitch black. The only thing he could do was smell. The air smelled heavily of smoke and gasoline.

Fiyero tried again to move his legs but nothing happened. He had apparently been drugged.

"HELP!" Fiyero yelled. He didn't care who heard him, he just prayed that anyone would.

He moved his arms around to lift his head up. That's when he heard a coughing sound fill the air.

"Fae?" He called out as the coughing continued.

Fiyero received no response. He didn't need to hear a response to know that this person was obviously in pain.

He carefully dragged himself to a sitting position and scooted off of the cot. Or what he hoped would be a scoot, it was really more of a fall.

"Ouch." Fiyero gasped as he landed hard on the concrete floor.

He heard a groaning noise fill the air once more and quickly brushed off his own pain.

"I'm coming Fae!" He shouted out as he scooted himself with his arms over to the area of the coughing.

When he got close enough to the figure he felt an arm reach out and grab at his throat.

"Untie me!" The figure yelled as he grasped onto Fiyero's neck.

Fiyero tried to gasp for air as the man tightened his grip. This obviously wasn't Elphaba. Maybe Elphaba had escaped in all of this mayhem.

"No!" Fiyero managed to yell between gasps.

"Untie me or die!" The figure tightened their grip on Fiyero's neck. He could feel the man's pulse slow down between his hands.

"D…die…" Fiyero managed to choke out. He was suddenly turning blue. He would rather die than help this man who was obviously tied up for a reason.

"Fine then it's your life." Leland yelled as he used his untied legs to reach around and kick Fiyero's head that was in his hands.

Fiyero fell to the ground gasping for air as his head was released from the man's grip. His nose and right eye were bleeding.

"That was just a warning." Leland yelled as he tried to untie himself. He needed to get out of here.

Fiyero spat out blood as he continued to gasp for air.

"Now let me go!" Leland yelled as he kicked Fiyero once again.

Fiyero lost his balance on his hands and fell to the floor. His chin hit the concrete and bust open.

"Where's Elphaba?" Fiyero gasped as he tried to regain his composure. Blood trickled down his throat.

"That little bitch is dead!" Leland prodded Fiyero on. "Didn't you here that explosion? Her and her whore girlfriend were blasted to smithereens."

Fiyero shook his head in disbelief. Elphaba and Glinda couldn't be dead. They just couldn't.

"I don't believe you! Where is Elphaba?!" Fiyero was furious. He needed to find Elphaba and get her and the baby out of this mess.

"Believe me. She is in a million tiny pieces right now." Leland chuckled. He realized that his men would come in any minute and rescue him. He no longer needed to beg Fiyero to help him. He now just wanted to have fun with him.

"You're lying!" Fiyero yelled as he wiped at the blood dripping from his chin.

"I assure you that I am not. She died trying to escape. She drugged you so that she could get out of here and leave you behind." Leland was enjoying causing this man pain.

"She wouldn't leave me here!" Fiyero countered. Elphaba wouldn't leave him behind.

"Oh she wouldn't? She wouldn't run off once Glinda was here to rescue her?" Leland smirked in the dark. He knew that Fiyero wouldn't be able to see this small expression. The only source of illumination in the room was the fire that was outside of the door.

"No." Fiyero spoke aloud more to convince himself than to respond. Elphaba wouldn't leave him.

"Hum, whatever you say." Leland chuckled again leaving Fiyero to his thoughts.

**XXX**

"Elphaba! Glinda!" Tahj yelled as he pushed some rubble off of him. He was bleeding abundantly from his head and left leg.

The three of them had been running along a hallway outside of Elphaba's room when the explosion went off.

Tahj was the only one to know the severity of the explosion. They heard the sounds of it before the roof crumbled down on top of them, trapping him and he assumed Glinda and Elphaba.

"Glinda!" He continued to yell frantically as he moved another boulder from on top on him. He was sure his left leg was broken. A rock had landed directly on top of it.

No other sounds occupied the air.

Tahj grew frantic as the silence dragged on. Surely Glinda or Elphaba would have said something before now if they were okay.

"Ouch!" Tahj winced in pain as he tried to stand.

The area was lit enough from the fire for him to see clearly around him. He needed to get out of here before the fire grew and consumed them all.

"Elphaba!" He yelled as he tried to lift some rocks away from the area. He knew his efforts were useless. He wouldn't be able to get to Glinda and Elphaba on his own.

"GLINDA!" He yelled as loud as possible. It hurt his lungs to do such. "ELPHABA!"

Silence.

Tahj began to lose all hope that he would ever locate the two girls when a distant noise filled the air.

"Tahj!" Hecimeer yelled as he came upon the area of the explosion.

"Hec!" Tahj yelled happily as he saw three of his men scramble over to him. "Where are the others?"

The three guards looked towards the rocks and avoided Tahj's gaze. That only meant one thing.

Tahj gulped and fought back tears as he heard the news. "We need to get Glinda and Iris out of here." He was careful to not use Elphaba's name around the guards.

"Where are they?" Hecimeer and the other guards looked around the area. The only thing they could see were rocks.

"Under here somewhere." Tahj motioned to the rocks that filled the area. "They weren't too far behind me when the roof collapsed."

Hecimeer felt guilty as Tahj mentioned the explosion. It had been his fault that the bomb has gone off.

"Listen Tahj…" Hecimeer tried to apologize but was silenced by Tahj.

"Now's not the time! We need to find them and get them out of here!" Tahj yelled as he clutched at his sore leg. "I can't move anything heavy."

Hecimeer noticed Tahj's leg and winced. He could tell it was broken from the position Tahj stood in.

"Let me get you out of here and we will come back for them." Hecimeer suggested as he tried to pick Tahj up.

"No! I am not leaving without them!" Tahj held strong.

Hecimeer knew he was arguing a losing battle and so he gave up.

"Okay men let's find them." Hecimeer turned around and commanded the other two guards.

The two guards followed orders and quickly began the task of moving the heavy rocks from the area.

Two minutes passed and the four of them had still not located the two.

Tahj began to panic, thinking that when they did find them they would only find unrecognizable figures.

Hecimeer continued to lift the heavy rocks, careful to keep an ear out for approaching guards. His first priority was to keep the captain safe.

Another two minutes passed before a sound filled the air.

"Did you hear that?" Tahj's ears perked as he motioned to the men to freeze.

Hecimeer was about to ask what he was talking about when he heard a tiny cough.

"Over there!" Hecimeer yelled as he rushed over to the coughing noise.

That's when he spotted a pale hand sticking through one of the rocks.

"Help me move these rocks!" Hecimeer demanded and Tahj was the first to come and help despite his own pain.

"Glinda!" Tahj yelled as he grabbed a hold of the hand. "Squeeze my hand if you can hear me." He prayed to the unnamed God that he would feel pressure in his hand.

He felt nothing.

When the guards removed the rocks, Tahj had to place his hand over his mouth at the sight in front of him.

Elphaba lay in Glinda's arms shaking violently. The green woman had blood trickling down from her right shoulder all the way to her ankle. Her entire right arm was mangled into a mess and parts of the bone broke through her skin. But at least she was conscious which is more than Tahj could say for Glinda.

The blonde was trapped under Elphaba's body unconscious. She didn't appear to even be breathing. Her tiny frame was crushed from the weight of the rocks and Elphaba.

"Hurry!" Tahj yelled for his men to pick the women up so they could get out of there. They could assess the damage to them later.

The six of them began to exit the area.

**XXX**

Leland enjoyed torturing Fiyero with words. He was going to pick back up on the physical violence but his guards came in before he ever got the chance.

"Leland?" The guards called out in the room, knowing that they would find their leader here.

"Over here!" Leland sighed in relief as his guards rushed over towards him. "Untie me!"

The guards quickly did as they were told and untied Leland from the table. Two of the guards went over and took Fiyero's arms within their possession.

"Who set off the explosion?" Leland demanded to know as he stood to his feet.

"Some of our guards captured and killed some of Lady Glinda's men." The guard who had released Leland replied.

"That bitch." Leland spat out. He was furious. Glinda had created the perfect diversion for them to escape.

"We don't believe it was her doing sir." The guard spoke up tentatively. "When our men found her guards she was not with them. They looked scared shitless."

"Glinda was in here. She came and captured the woman from me." Leland narrowed his eyes. No one got away from him.

"So if they were near here wouldn't they have been caught in the explosion?" One of the guards holding Fiyero offered up.

Leland's smile grew as this piece of information reached his ears. He knew that Glinda and Elphaba had escaped just moments before they had to walk down the hallway to exit. The hallway was the place where the explosion had taken place.

"You're right." Leland beamed. "Get as many men as you can and spread out! Glinda is still here!"

Leland walked towards the spot of the ground where his shirt had been. He carefully picked it up and walked back over to Fiyero, stuffing it in his mouth.

"Not a word from you." He spat in Fiyero's face as he pushed him back to the ground. He knew that Fiyero would be unable to move anywhere.

"Let's go!" Leland yelled to his men before exiting the room to go in search of the women.

**XXX**

Fiyero's eyes searched the now empty room for a way to escape. He prayed that Elphaba and Glinda were still alive and safe. If they were he couldn't let Leland get to them. Leland was a very bad man and he knew that he would kill anyone who got in his way.

Fiyero choked on the shirt in his mouth before he finally managed to spit it out. Before the guards had left they had managed to tie his hands behind his back.

"Think Fiyero. Think." Adrenaline pumped through Fiyero's veins as he scanned the area for a way out. That's when he noticed a lantern that one of the men had left.

A smile formed on his face as an idea struck.

**XXX**

"This way!" Tahj yelled as he motioned for the men to follow him.

Hecimeer and the other guards who carried the women rushed towards Tahj's voice. They could not risk falling behind.

"Shit!" Tahj exclaimed as he saw some guards and Leland running their way.

Hecimeer looked over and saw the guards rushing straight for them. There was no way that they would go unnoticed this time.

Tahj scanned the area for a way out. They were trapped.

"Set them down carefully." Tahj motioned for his guards to set Glinda and Elphaba down. "We have to fight." Tahj gulped before drawing a dagger from his belt.

The guards obeyed and grabbed their swords. Sweat poured from their foreheads.

Tahj turned around to his men and saw fear in their eyes. He suddenly felt a sense of honor to be fighting with such men. They had risked everything to come and find him.

"Let the unnamed God be with you all." Tahj felt he should say a prayer. The other guards gripped their swords tighter and momentarily closed their eyes to pray.

This was it. They weren't getting out of here alive.

* * *


	46. Chapter 45

**A/N: This is another M rated chapter but it is rated this time for violence and graphic detail. I'm sorry it is a little later than usual but this chapter took a lot of thought. I wanted to make it intense and emotional at the same time. The beginning might be a little hard to follow but trust me it gets better. So with that said please enjoy!!**

**Chapter 45**

"There they are!" Leland yelled as he ran forward.

Tahj gripped his sword tighter and prayed for luck to be on their side. They were outnumbered and some of Leland's guards had guns. This was definitely not an even match.

Leland smiled as he and his men gained on the four renegades. He couldn't see Glinda or Elphaba in sight but he knew they must be somewhere nearby.

With a clash of metal the fight began.

Tahj easily took out the first row of guards that attacked him with one swipe of his sword. There were still many more rows to come though.

"Duck!" Hecimeer yelled to his two men as one of Leland's guys snuck up behind them.

It was too late.

One of the rescuers swords fell to the ground as he clutched his stomach. Leland's man had stabbed him in the gut.

"Fitz!" Hecimeer yelled as he rushed to his friend's side to steady him. "Hold in there!"

The guard known as Fitz looked up into Hecimeer's eyes before stumbling backwards and falling limp to the ground.

"You bastard!" Hecimeer yelled to the man who had just killed Fitz.

The other guard had no time to think before Hecimeer ran at him and stabbed him in the same fashion that Fitz had been brutally murdered.

Hecimeer's blood was boiling as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. Tahj was trying to fight off as many men as he could with his wounded leg. The other guard known as Tobias was fighting hand to hand with one of Leland's men. His sword had been stolen from him and kicked to the side. Leland stood watching all of this with amusement.

Hecimeer wasted no time before throwing himself back into the action.

"This is for Glinda!" Tahj yelled as he skewered his sword through one of the prison guards. "And this is for her lover!" He stabbed the man again and kicked him with his good leg while he fell to the ground.

Tobias screamed as one of the guards grabbed a hold of his neck and slammed him against a wall.

"No!" Tahj yelled as he saw his charge get beaten down. He quickly ducked another sword and tried to make it over to Tobias. His leg problems were long forgotten as the adrenaline pumped through his veins.

Leland laughed heartily as he saw one of his men grab hold of Tobias and lift him off of the ground.

Tahj made it just it time to save his guard. With one rapid swipe of his sword he sliced the arm of the man who held Tobias up.

"GAH!" The prison guard yelled as he released Tobias. He was too slow to turn back around before Tahj once again carved at his back.

With another howl of pain the prison guard fell to the ground. The number of guards was quickly diminishing.

Leland noticed that his men were falling and so he figured they had had enough fun. Now it was time to bring out the big guns.

"Hold it right there!" Leland yelled as he put his hand on the trigger of a gun he had been given.

Tahj looked up to see a gun pointed straight at Hecimeer. Hecimeer was too lost in his battle to hear the command.

Leland wasted no time in pulling the trigger once Hecimeer had not responded.

"No!" Tahj yelled as he saw the bullet hit Hecimeer in the chest. The man crumbled to the ground, his chest heaving.

"Hec!" Tahj struggled to make his way over to his fallen friend. He couldn't afford to lose him.

"I wouldn't take another step if I were you." Leland spoke again before changing the direction of the gun to point at Tahj.

Tahj stilled his movement and looked behind him seeing if Tobias would help. That's when he noticed two guards had their arms around him and he was struggling to get away. He had been captured.

Tahj looked back towards Hecimeer lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood. It was useless. Tahj was the only one left standing that had enough in him to fight, and even he was injured.

"You don't just think you can waltz in here and take what you want, do you?" Leland smirked as he cocked the gun.

Tahj gulped. This was it. He was going to die right here in the hands of this bastard that had killed his guards and friends. Elphaba and Glinda would never be saved.

"If you tell me where Glinda and Elphaba are I may let you live." Leland walked closer to Tahj. "No one else has to get hurt. I'll let your men go if you tell me where they are."

Tahj side glanced to the area that his men had placed the two women down. They were hidden well from the eyes of Leland and his men.

"No." Tahj stared back into Leland's eye. "I don't know where they are." He lied.

"Bullshit." Leland called him out. "They are here somewhere now where are they?"

"I told you I don't know." Tahj acted offended, as if Leland had hurt his feelings by calling him a liar.

"They are here somewhere now tell me where!" Leland yelled as spit flew from his mouth.

Tahj kept quiet. Maybe if he didn't tell Leland their location then the girls would wake up eventually. He knew they were in no state to move themselves, but he hoped that by the time that had rolled around it might change. He needed to give them a chance.

"D..don't…te…tell…the..them." Hecimeer coughed out blood as he tried to speak.

Tahj looked down and saw that his friend was still alive. He felt even more pain though at knowing how badly Hecimeer must feel.

Tahj smiled to his friend before turned back around to face Leland.

"I guess that means I won't be telling you." Tahj smirked as he stared down a baffled Leland.

"You're making a huge mistake." Leland warned.

Tahj crossed his arms across his chest as if he didn't care. He was willing to do anything to save Glinda and Elphaba.

Leland shot daggers with his eyes towards Tahj. This seemed to have no effect on the senior guard.

When he saw this was not working he turned his attention back towards the guards that held Tobias.

"Do it." He ordered.

Tahj turned in fear of what they would do to his friend when a sudden crack filled the air.

Tobias fell to the ground, his neck twisted in a ninety-degree angle.

"BASTARD!" Tahj yelled angrily as he watched his friend's neck break. Now it was just Hecimeer and him left, and he didn't know how long his friend had.

"I warned you." Leland cheered. He didn't mind killing off innocents if that meant he could torture Tahj some more. "Who's next?"

Tahj fought back tears as he saw the hatred in Leland's eyes. This man really was the devil reincarnated. Whoever had thought Elphaba was wicked had obviously never met this man.

Tahj didn't care about himself anymore. He needed to avenge the deaths of all of his soldiers that Leland had killed.

"AHHH!" Tahj screamed as he lunged forward and tackled the man to the ground. He started punching him as quickly as his arms would allow.

Leland tried to cover his face as Tahj attacked him.

"Guards!" Leland yelled between punches and before he knew it the weight was off of him and Tahj was in the arms of two other guards.

"Now that wasn't nice." Leland wiped at his bloody nose as he got up from the ground. "You're going to pay for that."

Tahj bit his lip to keep from screaming as Leland kicked him in his broken leg.

"Now I am going to enjoy this." Leland smiled before picking up a rock and holding it over Tahj's head.

Tahj closed his eyes tightly as he fought back the image of what was about to come. He couldn't bear looking when his life was ended.

"Hey!" A voice called from the hallway the guards had come through.

"What the…?" Leland whipped his head around to see the figure of Fiyero crawling towards them. Was this guy serious? Did he really think he could take on all of these guards in his current state.

Tahj opened his eyes to see Fiyero crawling towards them holding a lantern.

Fiyero found Tahj and mouthed the words Elphaba and Glinda to him. This small conversation went unnoticed by Leland who was too entertained at the fact that this man was dragging himself.

Tahj understood what Fiyero was asking and so he quickly nodded his head yes and towards the direction that the women were.

Fiyero's heart leapt as he learned that the two of them were still alive. He knew that they didn't have long though.

"Well look who decided to join the fun." Leland laughed as he watched Fiyero continue to crawl towards them.

"I couldn't let you have all the fun now could I?" Fiyero dragged himself further. The lantern clanked on the ground next to him.

"Well where were my manners? Of course not." Leland chuckled. He was going to enjoy killing one more man and forcing Tahj to watch.

Fiyero glanced back at Tahj and mouthed the word duck while pointing to his lantern.

It took Tahj a little while to understand what Fiyero was saying but when he did his eyes went wide. Was Fiyero serious? The whole place smelled heavily of gasoline. If any of the fire from the lantern got out it would incinerate anyone in its path.

Tahj shook his head no. Fiyero would be committing suicide by doing this. There was also no guarantee that even if he ducked and protected the women that they wouldn't be burned as well. It was too risky.

Fiyero only shook his head yes and dangled the lantern a little more freely. He wasn't willing to back down. He knew that what he was about to do was suicide but he didn't care. He had made a promise to keep Elphaba and her baby safe. He wasn't going to break that promise like he had to Glinda.

"Guards!" Leland motioned for his men to let go of Tahj. "I want him to see this mans face when I slash it open."

Tahj winced as he fell to his knees. Without the support of the guards he was barely able to stand. How in Oz did Fiyero ever think he could get Glinda and Elphaba out of here by himself?

Fiyero only stared up at Leland and smiled. If he was going to die then he was going to die on his own terms. This man held no threat for him.

"Odd." Leland spoke as he readied his blade.

"What's odd?" Fiyero asked. He was trying to stall long enough for Tahj to manage to get over to the girls.

"You're smiling." Leland stated. "Before I kill people they usually beg for their lives. Why aren't you begging?" Leland didn't like this. He liked causing men pain. Fiyero was showing no signs of pain whatsoever.

"Death isn't as scary as you think it is." Fiyero spoke from experience. He hadn't technically died but he had pretended to. He had to give up everything when he ran away with Elphaba. He had to kill the old Fiyero to become who he was today. Death wasn't so scary the first time, why should it be when it was for real?

While Fiyero had been busy explaining his reason for smiling to Leland, Tahj had managed to scoot his way over to where Glinda and Elphaba were hidden between some rocks. The rocks formed a sort of shelter for the two of them and Tahj had no problem slipping in with them. Thankfully none of the guards seemed to notice because they had been so occupied with Fiyero.

Leland soon grew tried of Fiyero and decided to end his little speech.

"Enough!" He shouted angrily. He turned around to look at Tahj. This is when he noticed the guard missing. Where had he gone? He couldn't have gotten far.

"Guards!" Leland yelled frantically as he scanned the area. Tahj was nowhere in sight. "Where the fuck did he go?" Leland grew furious. He wasn't about to let this man escape him.

Tahj heard as Leland noticed his absence. He breathed heavily as panic began to take hold. What if he found them before Fiyero had a chance to blow the place? What if Fiyero was playing a trick on them and leading them to where Glinda and Elphaba really were. He felt so stupid that he had trusted this man so eagerly before.

"FIND HIM!" Leland yelled to his guards who began to scamper.

Fiyero smiled one last smile before lifting the lantern high in the air. He closed his eyes.

"I love you Fae." Fiyero whispered into the abyss as the lantern slipped out from between his fingers.

Leland turned back around in time to see the lantern hanging high in the air. It was then that he realized what Fiyero was planning on doing.

"NO!" He yelled as he sprung forward to catch the lantern.

It was too late.

The lantern fell and the glass shattered. In what seemed like slow motion for everyone there, but was really in a matter of milliseconds, the entire room caught fire.

Fiyero continued to smile as the heat engulfed the entire room. He knew that his purpose was fulfilled. He had kept his promise.

Leland tried to run in the direction of the exit but flames followed him wherever he went. He was trapped.

"Guards!" Leland coughed as the thick black smoke filled the air. "Guards!"

There was no response. No one was coming to help him this time. They had all either cowered away from the challenge or had already extinguished in the fire.

Tahj listened to the entire room panic as the fire took over. Luckily the space they had managed to wedge themselves into was forming a protective covering. The fire didn't reach to them.

Leland stumbled back and forth as he tried to breath. The smoke was overtaking his lungs and the fire kept growing in intensity. All of the exits were blocked. There was no way out.

In one last attempt to gain some sort of control he picked up his gun and marched his way back towards Fiyero.

"You did this!" He yelled as his hand shook with intensity.

Fiyero continued to smile. Within moments he would be in heaven reconnected to his love. The old Fae that used to love him would be waiting for him.

"I'm not going to let you get away with this!" Leland coughed out as he cocked the gun. He may be dying but he still had some control over this man's death at the moment. He needed that control to feel powerful.

A tear rolled down Fiyero's eyes as he could see Elphaba waiting for him at the gates. She looked as beautiful as ever. Her green skin was shimmering in the sun and her raven tresses blew in the wind. She held out her hand for Fiyero to take.

"Fae." Fiyero whispered one last time before his world went dark.

Leland pulled the trigger of his gun and watched as Fiyero fell to the ground; a single bullet hole in the center of his forehead. A smile still eerily hung on his face.

Leland dropped the gun as a feeling of hopelessness took hold. Now that Fiyero was dead there was no one else left to kill. No one else left to torture. He had no more control over what was happening.

Tahj cringed as he heard the gunfire. He knew that it had hit its target when he heard a body fall to the ground. He said a silent prayer for Fiyero.

"AAAAHHHHHH!!" Leland let off one last agonizing scream as he fell to the ground. It was hopeless. There was no getting out of this. He was going to die.

The fire continued to rage on for a couple of hours as it consumed anything in its path. About five minutes after Leland's scream the room had fell silent. The only noise to occupy the air was the crackling of the fire.

**XXX**

Tahj tried to shelter Glinda and Elphaba as much as possible from the deadly smoke. He took off his shirt and created a sort of breathing filter for the three of them.

It was hard to tell if Glinda was even alive still. Her chest didn't move up and down as it should have. The only indication Elphaba was alive was from her shaking. The green girl, despite her lack of consciousness, shook violently. So much so that Tahj eventually had to maneuver her so she didn't cause Glinda anymore damage by hitting up against her fragile body.

The three of them waited out the flames until at last they seemed to lessen. The fire was beginning to die down.

Tahj carefully removed the shirt from the entrance to their hiding place and peeked his head out to assess the damage. He needed to see if there was a way out for them.

The guard gasped at the sight in front of him. Nothing was recognizable. Everything was covered in dark soot. The area that he had last seen Fiyero and Leland was filled with nothing more than ashes and debris.

Tahj fought back tears as he continued to look around. How he had managed to survive the deadliest fire in all of Oz was beyond him. The unnamed God must have been on his side.

He still had to get Glinda and Elphaba out of here though. He knew rocks from the first explosion had covered up the way they had come in. They had to find another way.

Tahj continued to look around until his eyes fell on this one area that had been covered up by a bookshelf before. Now that the fire had eaten away at the wood, a hidden door presented itself.

He didn't care were there hidden door led to, as long as it led them out of this room. He couldn't risk having the two women in here any longer. The air was too hard to breath in.

Tahj carefully removed the shirt from their entrance and grabbed Elphaba's body. Her weight was too much for him to carry with his leg and so he had to drag her to the door.

He then went back and repeated the same process with the blonde, although he tried to be a little more careful. He knew that Glinda was more seriously injured than her fiancée.

Tahj sighed as he reached the door safely and opened it. A blast of fresh air hit him in the face and he had to cough at the change in quality. This air was uncontaminated and fresh.

He carefully took hold of Glinda and Elphaba's hands and drug them behind him as he limped into the room.


	47. Chapter 46

**A/N: Just a heads up...this chapter is going to confuse you. It's meant to. Everything will be explained in the next chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter 46**

_One week later…_

Tahj made his way down the long corridor to the hospital wing. His journey was made difficult by the crutches that he had to use, and the fact that one of his arms was broken, causing holding the crutches properly to hurt him all the more. His entire left leg was in a plastered cast, and bruises littered the area of skin that was around his face.

It had been a week since their escape from the prison. Tahj wasn't even sure how luck had been on their side. As soon as he had opened the door to drag the two women out, some of Glinda's palace guards were on the other side to help him. Apparently once the palace guards learned of Glinda's departure they went in search of the blonde. It just so happened that they were at the prison looking for her when they saw fire.

Tahj rounded the corner to the hospital wing and took a deep breath. Over the past few days he had seen more of this place than he ever hoped to see.

"Ah, Master Guff." The doctor said as he saw Tahj hop his was into the corridor. "I wish you would reconsider and use a wheelchair."

"You know me, stubborn as a bull." Tahj chuckled. He didn't feel the use of a wheelchair was required. His injuries were minor cuts and bruises compared to what the others had endured.

"That you are." The doctor chuckled as well before helping Tahj over to a bench.

"Any change?" Tahj asked the doctor as he sat down. He grimaced when his cast accidentally hit the edge of the chair.

"She's getting a little better. Her heart rate has gone back up." The doctor smiled. He knew that Tahj was concerned and he wanted to alleviate his pain as much as he could.

"That's good." Tahj smiled. If her heart rate was getting stronger then that mean she held out a good chance at recovery.

"Yes it is." The doctor agreed. "Did you want to see her?"

"If you don't mind." Tahj made to get up from the bench. He knew he shouldn't have sat down; it made getting up all the more difficult.

"Not at all. Here let me help you." That doctor got up from the bench with no problem as he extended his arm out to Tahj.

Tahj graciously accepted and was soon standing upright again.

"Thank you Doctor." Tahj saluted the doctor before heading off in the opposite direction.

**XXX**

Tahj made it to the room where his friend was with no problem.

Carefully he reached up his uninjured arm to tap on the door. There was no response from the other side. Not that he expected one or anything.

When he received no response after the third knock he slowly opened to door to peer in.

The guard sighed loudly as he walked into the gloomy hospital room.

"Hey there." Tahj smiled as he sat down in the seat next to the hospital bed. "I brought you some of those little fruits you like so much."

The guard reached out and placed a tiny bag of munchkinberries on the tray table.

Tahj then directed his attention back to the woman in the bed. She was staring at him the whole time.

"The doctor says you're getting better." Tahj smiled sadly as he reached out a hand to wipe away the tears the now fell from the woman's eyes.

The woman flinched when Tahj tried to touch her.

"I'm sorry." Tahj hung his head. "I should have remembered." How could he have forgotten that every time he tried to offer comfort this woman would freeze up?

The woman remained silent as she stared at the munckinberries on the table in front of her.

"The memorial service is to be held later on today." Tahj broke the silence. He didn't know what else to say.

The woman remained quiet.

"I'm sure if you wanted to go, the doctor would release you for an hour. We could put you in a wheelchair and I could have someone push you." Tahj was hopeful. He really didn't want the woman in the hospital bed to miss the memorial. He knew that she would regret it later on.

Silence.

"You don't have to answer me right away. You can think about it for a little while." Tahj was upset when he didn't receive a response right away. The woman would not speak to him. In fact, she hadn't spoke to anyone in a week.

The woman continued to stare at the munchkinberries as if she could cause them to combust by staring them down. A single tear fell from her eyes.

"There's no reason to be sad. You made it. You're alive." Tears began to form in Tahj's own eyes as he spoke.

Silence.

Tahj didn't even know is this woman could even understand what he was saying to her. She was so hopped up on morphine that she did nothing but stare. Her eyes would win any staring contest hands down.

"Just think about going to the memorial. I'm sure Ella would want you there." Tahj retreated back into his chair. He knew that he wasn't going to get a response just yet.

As soon as the name Ella was spoken the woman on the hospital bed had to close her eyes to fight back the tears that threatened to flow. She clenched them tightly as the floodgates began to open. She wasn't going to cry. Not here and not like this.

Tahj watched as the woman's wounded body began to quiver. She was on the cusp of another attack.

"DOCTOR!" Tahj yelled as loudly as he could. He knew that if he didn't say something then they might lose another innocent to the hands of Leland.

"DOCTOR!" Tahj yelled again with more force as he moved closer to the woman who began to shake.

Tahj didn't care about his leg at the moment. The woman in the hospital bed was his only priority.

Tahj was about to call again when the door suddenly opened and the doctor ran inside.

"She's having another attack!" Tahj yelled frantically as the doctors tried to stabilize the woman.

The doctor held onto the woman's shoulders as he pulled a syringe out from his lab coat. Carefully he stuck the woman in the shoulder as he emptied the contents.

The woman calmed down drastically after the shot was administered.

"That should hold her for a while." The doctor released his grasp on the woman's shoulder. "But you can't keep upsetting her like this. Every time this happens her heart rate plunges. We cannot afford another one of these attacks. Next time she might not stop." The doctor scolded Tahj for upsetting the woman.

"I'm sorry." Tahj apologized. He knew that mentioning all of this was upsetting the woman in the bed, but at the same time he didn't know how not to bring it up. He never meant for the woman to have a seizure.

"Just be careful about what you say to her. She is very fragile and any slip up could end her life." The doctor warned. This was serious. There was no joking around when it came to seizures.

Tahj sighed as the doctors and nurses left the room. It was now just him and the woman left. The woman wasn't moving an inch. She was staring straight at the ceiling above.

"I didn't mean to upset you." Tahj apologized. It broke his heart to see this woman in pain. She had sustained a lot of injuries in the explosion. The whole right side of her body had been mangled and bruised. Her arm and legs were both in heavy casts and her face was swollen.

When Tahj brought her into the hospital wing they had to perform reconstructive surgery on the woman's right arm. She had been so bloodied and swollen that it was hard to recognize who she was.

"Elphaba please talk to me." Tahj shook his head as he used the woman's name. How could anyone hurt this woman so badly? How could they intentionally try and kill her?

The green woman continued to stare up at the ceiling.

"I'm not going to let you miss this memorial. You will regret it for the rest of your life." Tahj was becoming angry. Elphaba needed to see that she was making a mistake.

Silence.

"Well fine then." Tahj got up from his chair as he grabbed his crutches. "I am not going to miss this because you are too chicken to come."

Elphaba continued to stare at the ceiling as the door to her room opened. As soon as she heard the door click she closed her eyes to sleep. She was too tired to think.

**XXX**

"Is she coming to the service?" One of the nurses asked as she saw Tahj storm from the room. Well as fast as anyone could storm on crutches.

"No she isn't." Tahj was furious. Many innocent victim's had lost their lives trying to save Elphaba and how did she repay them? She didn't.

"Oh." The nurse replied before watching Tahj exit from the hospital wing.

**XXX**

"Wake up." The nurse who had recently spoken to Tahj entered Elphaba's room.

The green woman pretended to be asleep.

"I said wake up!" The nurse pulled back the curtains to the window to allow some light in the room.

"You are fooling nobody Miss Iris." The nurse went over to the bed to nudge the green woman. "I know that you are well enough to go to that memorial service."

Elphaba continued to pretend she was sleeping.

"I will not allow you to miss this just because you are too stubborn. You are causing Tahj a lot of pain by not going. Don't you see that man risked his life for you and Lady Glinda?" The nurse came over to the bed and pulled back the covers. She was going to get that woman out of her hospital bed and into the sun. Her injuries were healing pretty nicely and one hour would not hurt her.

"Please don't make me shoot you up with a caffeine shot." The nurse threatened. They didn't actually have any of those but she hoped that Elphaba would be none the wiser.

It worked.

The green woman's eyes opened as she stared at the perky nurse next to her.

"That's better." The nurse smiled in success. "Now the memorial starts in one hour. I am going to get you something to change into and then help you do so. Then you and I are going to that memorial. I will not let you miss it." The nurse held strong.

Elphaba would have admired this woman's attitude if it had been any other time. Right now she only found it to be annoying.

"I will be back in five minutes. I am just going to go get you something to wear." The nurse exited the room leaving Elphaba alone.

The green woman didn't want to go to the memorial but knew there was no alternative. It wasn't as if she could walk out of here. She didn't even know if she could stand up straight with the injuries she had sustained. Her entire right side was not functioning, as it should be.

**XXX**

Fine minutes later the nurse returned with a mahogany dress that was floor length. It was good to cover up most of her casts and bruises. She didn't want the woman to have to worry about people staring at her too much.

"Here we are." The nurse chirped as she laid the dress on the bed.

The nurse was really beginning to irritate the green woman. She normally would have found this perkiness to be endearing but it was the last thing she needed at the moment.

Elphaba allowed the woman to help her dress, wincing only a couple of times.

After about twenty minutes the green woman was finally in her dress with her hair down. The nurse was going to put it in a bun but when she saw the bruises on the woman's neck she decided against it.

"Okay so we are all set to go." The nurse smiled at her accomplishment. She had managed to transform Elphaba into somewhat of a normal human being.

Elphaba wanted so badly to tell this woman off but she could not find words. She hadn't had words to describe much in the past week. Nothing seemed important enough to say.

"Let's go." The nurse brought in a wheelchair and carefully placed Elphaba within it.

For the first time Elphaba cried out audibly as she had to shift to a sitting up position.

The nurse stilled her actions and allowed Elphaba to cry it out while she went and got someone to help her.

She soon returned with another nurse who graciously helped the woman into the wheelchair.

When all of that was said and done, the nurse made sure Elphaba didn't have anything sticking out from the dress. Once she was satisfied with how the woman looked she started to walk out the door.

Elphaba tried to close her eyes and get rid of the thoughts that flooded her mind. She was going to the memorial and that was it. There was no getting out of it.

The two of them made their way along the long corridor before coming upon a door. The memorial was to be held inside the ballroom.

Elphaba took a deep breath before the nurse wheeled her inside.

**XXX**

The memorial was rather small and quant. Not a whole lot of people had shown up except a couple of staff members and families.

Elphaba breathed a tiny sigh of relief at the amount of people. She couldn't face a big crowd at a time such as this.

"Where should we sit?" The nurse asked as she scanned the room looking for Tahj. She knew exactly where she was going to sit.

When Elphaba didn't answer she took that as a response to sit wherever she wanted. The nurse wheeled them over towards the guard.

"Iris!" Tahj was more than a little surprised to see Elphaba here. "You came."

Elphaba didn't respond. She only stared into Tahj's eyes.

"I'm glad you changed your mind." Tahj smiled uncomfortably as the green woman continued to stare. She had begun to do that lately; to just stare at someone until they were too flustered to continue on in their conversation.

"Actually she didn't. I kind of forced her." The nurse giggled as she fawned over the heroic guard. It was apparent she had only done this for him.

"Well then thank you so much…"

"Elise." The nurse offered her name.

"Thank you so much Elise." Tahj was grateful that this woman had gone through all of this trouble.

"It was no problem." The nurse batted her eyelashes.

"I think I can take it from here though." He moved his free hand over to the wheelchair. Now that Elphaba was here he would be able to take care of her.

"Oh no you shouldn't be pushing anything heavy with your leg and arm." The nurse scolded Tahj as she grasped onto the wheelchair tighter. She wasn't going to allow him to just leave with all of her efforts.

"What ever was I thinking?" Tahj replied dramatically. "Will you please join me and Miss Iris then?"

"Of course." The nurse eagerly followed the two of them over to a seat near the very front.

Elphaba looked around the room once they were situated at the front. She was hoping to not see anyone else she knew but she knew that wasn't the case. Tahj had said Ella would be here.

Elphaba hadn't seen Ella in a couple of days. The last time she had seen her the doctors had to take her away because Elphaba began to have one of her fits. She hoped that she would be okay this time.

"Ella is going to be here just before it starts." Tahj informed the green woman. He knew what she was looking around for.

This little piece of information on seemed to upset Elphaba.

Tahj noticed this but said nothing. Instead he saved some seats next to him because he knew that Elphaba would want to sit next to Ella during all of this. Even if she wouldn't admit that she needed the little girl at a time like this.

**XXX**

A couple of minutes passed and the room began to fill with more people. Elphaba began recognizing a couple of the staff members.

They all waved friendly to her once they saw her, but she would only stare. Eventually they began to stare back.

"It's almost time." Tahj informed Elphaba as he pulled out a little bag of tissues. He knew that she would need them.

Elphaba heard Tahj say it was almost time and so she once again scanned the area for the almost three foot tall child.

Her eyes landed to the door where she saw Ella being led hand-in-hand by her nanny.

The child locked eyes with her.

The two continued to stare at each other for a little while before Ella tugged on her nanny's hand to lead her over to where Elphaba was.

Ella's nanny carefully made her way over to the wheelchair bound woman.

"Ella." Elphaba spoke her first words in a week. "I'm so sorry." The green woman began to cry as Ella stood in front of her.

Everyone was a little surprised when Elphaba began to speak once again. They had missed her melodic voice.

Ella brought her tiny hand up to wipe the tears away that formed in Elphaba's eyes.

"I'm so sorry." Elphaba choked out as she continued to cry. She looked up and all she could see was Fiyero and Glinda's child standing in front of her. She had caused their family too much suffering and pain.

"It's okay. Don't be sad." Ella smiled weakly as she moved forward to hug the green woman.

Elphaba didn't care if she was in a ton of pain at the moment; she reached forward with her good hand and pulled Ella into her.

Elphaba's body continued to shake as she cried into Ella's tiny frame. It wasn't the bad kind of shaking though. It was the good kind. The kind that she needed to release all of these emotions that had been building up.

"The ceremony is to begin in five minutes." The reverend informed everyone in the ballroom. "Please take your seats."

Tahj helped lift Ella up onto Elphaba's good side as the two hugged each other for support. Together they were going to get through this.

**XXX**

The ceremony began and by the middle of it there was not a single dry eye in the entire place.

The speeches were beautiful, as they all talked about facing death to save another.

Ella began to grow restless halfway through and Elphaba knew that she couldn't take this much longer. She wasn't entirely ready to leave but she knew that Ella was. Ella was her only priority.

"I'm going to take Ella outside." Elphaba whispered to Tahj as he blew his nose on one of the tissues.

"Hold on a second and I'll come with you." Tahj sniffled as he tried to release himself from the nurse's grasp.

"No stay here. I need to speak with her alone. I can push myself with one arm." Elphaba didn't know if she actually could do this but she had to at least try. She wanted to spend some time with Ella alone.

Tahj knew that Elphaba needed time alone with her little girl and so he agreed.

Elphaba took once last glance at the pictures in the front of the room before exiting with Ella in her lap.

**XXX**

Elphaba continued to wheel herself and Ella down the long corridor. She didn't know where she was going, but her arm that wheeled her seemed to know.

Ella remained quietly wrapped up on Elphaba's lap. The service had drained the little girl and she was exhausted.

Before Elphaba even realized where she was at, she was back in the hospital wing staring at a door.

The sign on the door read ICU.

She carefully opened the door and wheeled the two of them inside.


	48. Chapter 47

**A/N: You finally get to find out who the memorial service was for and who is in ICU. Yay!! Enjoy reading this…and I tried to not make it as angsty. **

**Chapter 47**

Elphaba carefully wheeled herself inside of the ICU room. Ella became rigid against her body.

"It's okay." Elphaba tried to sooth the scared girl in her lap. "I've got you." The green woman tightened her embrace around the tiny girl as she wheeled over to a bed.

The only sound in the air was the beeping of machines.

Elphaba took a deep breath as she stared at the tiny frame that lay unconscious on the bed.

The woman's chest rose up and down slightly as a machine helped her to breath. Her entire body was bruised and in casts. The only thing recognizable was her gold ringlets that protruded over her face.

"Glinda." Elphaba whispered as she brought her good hand up to grab a hold of the petite hand. A tear fell from her eye.

Elphaba had been avoiding coming to see her lover for the past week because she knew how life threatening her injuries were. She thought if she avoided this then it would go away. She had refused to talk to anyone for fear that they would tell her her lover was dead. It was too much for Elphaba to handle and so she just shut down.

She was coming to learn that that was the worst thing she could have possibly done. Ella needed her in a time like this and Elphaba had been so selfish. Ella had to have been hurting and confused from all of this.

"I'm sorry Glin." Elphaba apologized to her lover. She shook her head as tears began to flow from her eyes. Ella only clung on tighter and buried her head into Elphaba's chest. The little child couldn't stand seeing her mother in so much pain.

Elphaba continued to cry for a little while as she held Ella. The green woman had been so stupid not to sit by Glinda's side throughout all of this. What if she had lost Glinda? She couldn't handle thinking that.

After a couple of minutes passed Ella finally spoke up.

"Is mommy going to be okay?" Ella sniffled as she stared over at the form of her mother. She could barely recognize her under all of the bandages and bruises.

"Mommy is really strong. I'm sure she is doing everything in her power to come back to us." Elphaba replied to the little girl's question. She couldn't say that Glinda would be okay and lie to Ella because she didn't know if she would be.

Glinda's injuries were very serious. So much so that if one dose of medicine wasn't administered directly on the dot every four hours, Glinda's body would shut down. She was reliant on the drugs to help pull her through this. There would be no way any one person could handle this much pain without it.

"Are you okay now?" Ella asked Elphaba cautiously. She had known that Elphaba had been having problems with her recovery. For some reason Elphaba didn't seem to want to see Ella over the past week.

"I am going to be all right." Elphaba smiled encouragingly as she placed a kiss on the top of Ella's head.

The green woman felt guilty for ignoring Ella and drowning in her own self-pity. Those days were over. She vowed from this day forth to be there for Ella no matter what. Her injuries could not keep her away from the two Upland women she loved.

Ella smiled and clung to Elphaba. The green woman was the only person she had felt comfortable around besides her mother. She couldn't afford to lose her too.

The two of them sat watching Glinda for a long time before a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in." Elphaba replied as she shifted Ella so she was facing the door as well.

The door opened to reveal Tahj followed by the nurse that had forced Elphaba to go to the memorial of Fiyero and the other guard's.

"I was hoping I'd find you two here." Tahj smiled as he took a seat next to the green woman.

"Look Tahj I'm sorry about how I've been acting this past week. I am grateful for what you did. I really am. You saved me and Glinda both, and I shouldn't have treated you like you didn't exist." Elphaba tried to apologize to Tahj. She felt horrible for treating her rescuer so poorly for the past couple of days. If it hadn't been for him her and Glinda might both be dead.

"I understand and I accept your apology." Tahj smiled. He knew the reason Elphaba was avoiding him was because she couldn't deal with her problems. He couldn't blame her. If someone he had loved had ended up in ICU and he had only a couple of broken bones he would have been bitter too.

The two old friends continued to talk for a little while longer before the nurse interrupted them.

"Miss Iris I think that it is about time to get you back." The nurse let her duties take over. She didn't want to leave Tahj anymore than Elphaba wanted to leave Glinda.

"Can I stay with Glinda?" Elphaba pleaded as she looked between her lover and the nurse. She didn't want to have to leave just yet. If she left then she might not gain the courage to come back. It took all she had to get her where she was at today.

"You need to recover yourself before you can worry about Glinda. You are also heavily injured if you haven't forgotten." The nurse leveled a glare at the green woman.

"Can I sleep in here with her? You could move a bed in here." Elphaba suggested everything she could think of to get to stay with her love. Glinda might be unresponsive but she needed her. Elphaba couldn't abandon her love again.

"Another bed would hardly fit in here." The nurse needed to get Elphaba back to her room. She didn't want her having another one of her attacks.

"Is there anyway you could try?" Tahj interjected into the conversation. He had noticed the nurse fawning over him and he figured he might as well use that to his advantage.

The nurse immediately went from cold to loving. Tahj was asking her a favor. How could she resist?

"Well I guess I could bring one of the beds from down the hall in. Those are a little smaller than the beds in ICU." The nurse suddenly changed her mind.

"That would be wonderful Elise. Thank you." Tahj turned on his charm. The nurse batted her eyelashes a couple of times before disappearing down the hallway.

"Thank you." Elphaba thanked Tahj as soon as the nurse had left the room.

"Your welcome." Tahj smiled warmly as he looked over to the bed. His smile slowly turned into a frown.

Elphaba noticed this and became concerned. She knew that Glinda was barely alive but she didn't know how serious her injuries were. She had nearly a quarter of the bones in her body broken. When they took her in they had to perform surgery on her chest because one of her ribs had cracked and punctured her lung. That had been the reason she was hardly breathing before.

"She's going to be okay." Elphaba said aloud more for her benefit than for Tahj's.

Ella snuggled in closer to Elphaba. She was afraid that her mother wouldn't get better and that Elphaba was making this up to keep her happy.

"I know she is. She's a fighter." Tahj smiled as he noticed the three-year-old begin to cower against Elphaba's chest.

It hurt Elphaba for the weight to be against one of her ribs that she had fractured but she didn't say anything. Ella needed to feel loved and protected and that's just what she was going to do.

**XXX**

The next day Elphaba awoke to the sounds of doctors coming in and out of the room.

"What's going on?" The green woman began to panic as she tried to sit up in bed. That's when she felt the weight of Ella asleep on her left side. Ella had stayed the night with Elphaba and her mother.

"Nothing is wrong we are just running some tests." The doctor tried to calm the panicking woman down. He knew that if he didn't she would have a seizure. For some reason whenever she was panicked now she would lose control of her functions. When she had been injured, a part of her brain that controlled bodily movements had been injured. It would all get better in time, but for now they had to make sure she didn't get upset.

"What kind of tests?" The doctor's words did nothing but add to the girl's already panicked state. Why would doctors be running tests unless something was wrong?

"We are just making sure that everything is in working order. I assure you that these tests are normal." The doctor came over to the woman's bed. "Now please lay down. We will have to move you if you cannot cooperate."

Elphaba didn't want to have to be moved and so against her better judgment she laid back down. Ella was still sound asleep and she didn't want to wake her up by causing a scene. The little girl was so peaceful when she slept.

"Good." The doctor was satisfied when Elphaba caused him no problems. "Now we are going to run a couple more tests and then we will be back with the results. Do you require your pain medication?"

"Yes please." Elphaba was still in a lot of pain and knew that if she denied the meds then she would regret it later. Even if the medicine made her a little loopy it was better than no medicine at all.

"Okay I will be back in five minutes with your medicine." The doctor smiled before exiting the room.

As soon as the doctor was gone Elphaba looked over to her lover's bed and saw her lying there hooked up to all those scary machines. Glinda didn't deserve this. She shouldn't have tried to come and save Elphaba. It had been too risky. Elphaba had asked Tahj one simple task, to keep Glinda safe, and he had failed.

The green woman couldn't be too mad with Tahj however because she knew that if it were Glinda trapped in a prison then she would risk everything for her.

"Elphie?" Ella interrupted Elphaba's thoughts as she yawned against the green woman.

"Good morning my precious." Elphaba smiled before placing a kiss on top of the little girl's head. "Did you sleep well?"

Ella shook her head that she had.

"Is mommy better?" Ella asked as she looked over to her mother's bed. She didn't look any better.

"They are running some tests right now." Again Elphaba didn't want to lie to Ella.

"Are you okay?" Ella turned her attention back to the green woman. She knew Elphaba was injured badly as well, but at least she was capable of speaking and being awake.

"Give me a hug and I will be." Elphaba smiled as she reached out and accepted a hug from the three-year-old.

Elphaba and Ella continued to talk for a little while longer before the doctor came back in with Elphaba's pills.

"Here you are Miss Iris. These might make you a little sleepy. Do you want me to have Ella's nanny come pick her up?" The doctor knew that once Elphaba took these pills she was likely to pass out.

Elphaba took the pills from the doctor and then looked back and forth between them and Ella. She couldn't have both things at once. She too knew that these pills would cause her to fall asleep.

"I changed my mind." Elphaba handed the pills back to the doctor. "I am feeling a lot better today."

The doctor looked unsure. Elphaba's entire right side was injured. There was no way this woman could not be in pain. Her arm had to be pieced back together for Oz sake.

"I really think you should reconsider." The doctor warned Elphaba.

"I am not going to leave Ella." Came Elphaba's response. She could face the pain if it meant staying with Ella. She had lost too much precious time with this little girl over the past week. The drugs she had been given turned her into a zombie. She didn't like who she was when she took them.

"All right." The doctor resigned to the fact that Elphaba wasn't going to change her mind. "You know where to find me if you need them."

"Thank you doctor." Elphaba smiled friendly. "And please tell me when Glinda's results are back in."

"Will do." The doctor agreed before exiting the room and once again leaving Elphaba and Ella alone.

"So what do you want to do today?" Elphaba asked as she tried to scoot her way into a sitting up position. It was extremely difficult.

"You can't move." Ella stated. She knew that Elphaba couldn't do anything with her and she didn't want to have to leave her side. She was the only one that could understand how she felt about her mother, because she too loved her.

"I may not be able to move but we can still do something." Elphaba smiled warmly at the child's concern. "How about we do a puzzle? Or we can color."

Ella's eyes lit up at the word color.

"Color?" Ella repeated with a smile on her face.

"Yep." Elphaba confirmed. "It just so happens that I know where a coloring book is and some crayons."

"You do?" Ella's innocence was so cute to Elphaba. The green woman couldn't help but smile.

"I do." Elphaba confirmed before pressing a button on the side of Glinda's bed. She would have the nurse go and get her the supplies.

**XXX**

A couple of minutes passed before the nurse returned with the requested supplies.

"Okay so which would you rather color first? The woman or the kid?" Elphaba asked as she opened up the coloring page to show a picture of a family.

"The kid!" Ella cheered as she grabbed the pink crayon. She was more like her mother every day.

Elphaba chuckled as Ella began to doodle on the page. What the three-year-old could do was hardly considered coloring. It was more like scribbling. But that didn't stop her from believing that she way the greatest artist ever.

"I'm done with this one." Ella stated as she put her crayon down.

Elphaba stared at the page and could hardly contain her laughter. If it hadn't caused her so much pain to laugh she knew she would have. The picture in front of her had about five pink lines that stretched from the top of the page to the bottom. It seemed as if Ella had colored everything except the character in the photo.

"Good job." Elphaba lied as she flipped to another page to reveal a baby and mother. "How about this picture? Do you want to color this?"

Ella bounced anxiously at the praise and decided to color another.

"I want that one!" Ella pointed to the green crayon. She didn't know colors yet or else she would have asked for it by that.

"You want the green crayon?" Elphaba took this opportunity as a learning experience.

"Yes. Green." Ella agreed that's what she meant and took the crayon that was offered to her before coloring in the baby as best as she could. She then went about the task of colors the mother green as well.

"Look!" Ella was excited as she showed Elphaba the picture. "It's you and little sister!"

Elphaba stared at the photo as a smile crept onto her face. Ella had done a really good job with this photo of staying in the lines.

"How come your little sister is green?" Elphaba was curious as to why Ella would think that her baby was going to be green.

"Because you're green!" Ella stated as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

Elphaba had to give it to the little girl. She did have brains. There was a possibility that her child would turn out green. She didn't care what color she was as long as she was healthy. After everything they had been through, it was a miracle her child had survived.

"You are one very smart lady." Elphaba tore the picture out from the book. "And if you don't mind I am going to keep this." Elphaba was so touched by this photo that she was going to have it framed. It would go down in history as her first mother daughter photo.

Ella giggled as she took another crayon and began coloring once again.

Elphaba smiled and offered helpful hints before picking up a crayon to color herself. Her efforts weren't any better than Ella's because of her injured arm. She had to use her left hand instead of her right.

When the doctor came back in a couple of hours later to give Elphaba the results of the tests, he found the two women giggling as they tried to color on each other's skin with the crayons.

"Ahem." The doctor cleared his throat so the two might notice him.

Elphaba heard the clearing of a throat and looked up to see the doctor standing in the doorway. Her face immediately fell. What if he had something bad to tell her?

"Any news?" Elphaba put down the crown before looking to the doctor.

"The results are back and it seems everything checks out." The doctor then smiled. "There is no reason Miss Glinda should not make a full recovery. It will just take a lot of time."

A weight lifted off Elphaba's shoulders as she heard this. Her lover was going to be okay. Glinda would come back to her one day. This gave her hope.

"Thank you doctor!" Elphaba fought back tears of happiness at hearing this news.

"I'll leave you two back to your coloring." The doctor chuckled before exiting the room.

Elphaba let her tears fall freely as soon as the doctor left the room. She grabbed a hold of Glinda's arm and held her hand within her own.

"You hear that Glin. You're going to be okay." Elphaba smiled as she held her love's hand. Glinda may be unconscious now but someday she was going to return to Elphaba. When the first few weeks passed they would not have to keep Glinda asleep all of the time. Her body would become strong enough to deal with the pain.

"Mommy is going to be okay?" Ella perked up as she stared at the happy face that Elphaba wore.

"Mommy is going to be just fine." Elphaba smiled as she turned her attention back towards Ella.

"And you're okay mama?" Ella asked Elphaba.

Elphaba was surprised at the term Ella used for her. She wasn't her mother and she had never told Ella to call her such. She didn't want to show her shock on her face however. She wanted Ella to believe that calling her this was okay, and that it hadn't freaked her out. It was what she had hoped to be called one day anyways.

"Mama is okay too." Elphaba smiled before pulling Ella in for a hug.

Together they would get through this.


	49. Chapter 48

**A/N: So I skipped ahead 3 months so the healing process didn't bore you all. I might skip ahead another month in the next chapter as well…just a heads up.**

**Chapter 48**

Three months passed as everyone tried to recover. Tahj had his leg cast removed and was in physical therapy to build up his strength. Elphaba's bruises had healed and her seizures had ceased to occur. The only physical sign that she had left of her attack was the sling across her right arm. Everything was healing nicely except her arm. The surgery they had performed to reconstruct the bone had damaged her ability to move her arm properly. The arm looked perfectly fine from the outside, until you got close enough to see the stitch marks that ranged from her wrist all the way to her elbow. The doctors didn't even know if she would gain full use of her arm ever again.

Glinda was another story however. As Elphaba and Tahj began to heal, Glinda's health had declined. The first few weeks were rocky to say the least. Every time it seemed that the blonde would give up, she somehow found strength to stay alive. This strength is what kept her alive up until this point.

About a couple weeks prior to the current date, the doctors had decided to take Glinda off one of her medicines. This would allow the blonde to actually wake up. Until then she had been asleep while trying to recover.

As soon as the blonde awoke for the first time in six weeks the first thing she did was scream and thrash about her hospital bed. The pain was too much for her to handle and so the doctors ended up putting her back on the medication. They thought it best to wait a little while longer before awakening the blonde. She needed more time to heal.

It was on this particular day that the doctors decided to try waking Glinda again.

Elphaba and Ella had arrived at the hospital to try and see how Glinda would be feeling. Elphaba hadn't spoken to her love in the past three months and was beginning to grow antsy. She knew that Glinda was getting better, but it was just taking too long for her liking. Elphaba was now six months pregnant and definitely showing. Her mood swings were beginning to kick in full force. She didn't know how she would handle it if Glinda wouldn't be able to stay awake this time.

Ella and Elphaba had grown closer together in the period that Glinda had been recovering. Ella continued to call Elphaba mama, much to the green woman's liking. Ella was just an anxious for her mother to wake up as Elphaba was. She missed her mother terribly and wanted to hear her comforting voice telling her everything would be okay.

Tahj also arrived at the hospital to show his support for the blonde. He arrived, supporting his weight with the help of a walking cane.

Together the three of them walked into the ICU room.

**XXX**

"It looks like you're coming along quite nicely." Tahj chuckled as he patted Elphaba's belly.

"Oh shut up." Elphaba countered. She hated this man always teasing her about her pregnancy. Today especially she was very testy.

"Whoa didn't mean to offend." Tahj put his hands up in the air as if he were surrendering.

Elphaba just stared at him as Ella held onto her hand. The two had become inseparable ever since that day in the ICU room.

"Do you know when the doctor is supposed to be here?" Tahj asked, trying to take the green woman's mind off killing him.

"He said three." Elphaba looked at the wall clock and sighed. "Which was fifteen minutes ago." She said angrily.

"I'm sure he's just running a little behind. He'll be here when he can." Tahj tried to calm the woman down. At only six months pregnant she was sure letting her mood swings kick in a little early.

"Mama is mommy going to wake up today?" Ella tugged on Elphaba's dress.

Elphaba stared down at her little girl and her anger instantly dissipated. She ducked down so that she was eye level with the three-year-old.

"Mommy is going to wake up today, but we have to see what mood she is in before we can see her." Elphaba informed her adopted daughter. A month ago, with the legal help of Tahj, she had made the adoption official. Mainly because if anything bad did happen to Glinda, she couldn't stand losing Ella as well.

"So we can see her when she wakes up?" Ella perked up as she stared at her mother lying in the hospital bed.

Elphaba followed her gaze over to Glinda. The blonde certainly did look a lot better than the first time they tried to awaken her. Her bruises had faded and some of her casts were removed. One cast still stretched across her chest however. Her ribs were going to take a long time to heal.

"If she is up to it then yes." Elphaba hugged Ella and then went to stand again.

As soon as she stood the doctor entered the room followed by the nurse Elise.

"Where the hell have you been?" Elphaba demanded to know why the doctor was late.

"I'm sorry Miss Iris. I had another pressing matter." The doctor seemed offended by the green woman's words.

"Well this is more pressing I'm sure." Elphaba huffed as Tahj grabbed hold of her good arm to keep her from attacking the doctor.

"And that is why I am here now." The doctor knew not to press a pregnant woman's buttons. When his own wife had been pregnant he had learned that lesson the hard way.

"Shall we begin?" The doctor asked as he walked over to Glinda's bed.

"Yes." Tahj and Elphaba replied in unison. They were eager for Glinda to wake up.

"All right. I am going to give her a shot that should counter the effects of her sleeping medicine. All we will have to do after that is wait for her to wake up." The doctor informed the two of them what to expect.

"We just wait?" Elphaba was on the edge of her seat. She wanted Glinda to awaken right now so she could speak with her. She needed to tell her how much she loved her and how much she had missed her.

"We just wait." The doctor confirmed as he placed the syringe into one of Glinda's IV tubes. The medicine was administered. Now all they had to do was wait.

"All done." The doctor informed when he finished his task. "Now I have something else to do so come and get me when she wakes up. It could be immediately, it could be five hours. We don't know."

"Okay." Tahj agreed that they would come and get him when Glinda awoke.

"Good." The doctor and nurse both smiled before exiting the room.

**XXX**

Elphaba tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for Glinda to wake up. It had been two hours since the doctor had administered the shot and still the blonde hadn't woken up.

Around the one hour and thirty minute mark, Ella began to grow restless and so Tahj had volunteered to take her outside. He knew that there was no way Elphaba was going to leave Glinda's side when she knew she might awake at any moment.

The two of them had not returned when Elphaba heard a slight murmuring coming from the hospital bed.

"Glinda?" Elphaba perked up as she saw the tiny frame of Glinda begin to move.

"Glinda it's me Elphie. Please wake up." Tears began to flow from the green woman's eyes as she watched her love begin to wake up.

The next thing Elphaba heard coming from the bed were the sounds of whimpering. Glinda was crying.

"Glinda please wake up." Elphaba cried as she saw her lover endure so much pain. Even with three months, the blonde's injuries were worse than Elphaba's had been when she first came to the hospital.

The blonde's eyes began to flutter as she tried to open them. The pain she was feeling was so intense that she could hardly focus on anything. She didn't know where she was or what was going on.

"Glinda I love you. I'm right here baby." Elphaba soothed as she grabbed a hold of Glinda's hand. She knew she wouldn't be injuring her love by doing this because her hand was one of the parts of her body she hadn't injured.

More whimpering came from the bed before a tiny voice broke through.

"It hurts." Glinda cried as she felt all of the pain in her body.

Elphaba had to bite her bottom lip to keep from crying any harder. The first words Glinda had spoken in three months weren't what Elphaba had hoped for.

"I know it hurts my sweet, but you have to open your eyes for me. It's me Elphie." Elphaba held onto Glinda's hand. She wanted desperately to reach up and stroke Glinda's face, but her injured arm wouldn't allow it.

"It hurts so much." Glinda began to cry a little harder. The crying was beginning to cause her more pain.

Elphaba's tears fell from her eyes. If she could make her love feel any better she would. She would trade places with her in a minute.

"Glinda you have to pull through this. Ella and I need you." The green woman brought her love's hand up to her mouth and placed a soft kiss on the back of it. She didn't even know if Glinda could really hear her.

The blonde's eyes fluttered a couple more times before finally opening. She blinked a couple of times at the brightness that now invaded her.

"Glinda." Elphaba cried in happiness as she saw her love's sparkling blue eyes for the first time in three months.

Glinda continued to blink a couple of times trying to make out the forms of things around her. That's when she heard a familiar voice call her name.

"Elphie?" Glinda called as she tried to fight back more tears. She couldn't see anything around her. Everything was just a blur of color.

"It's me baby, it's really me." Elphaba cried as she stood and hovered over her love's face. "I've missed you so much."

Glinda blinked a couple more times as the images around her started to turn into shapes. She could now see the form of her lover glaring down at her with tears streaming down her face. A small smile appeared on her face.

"Elphie." Glinda repeated again as she looked into the eyes of her lover's. All the pain in the world could be damned for all she cared. She wanted nothing more than to stay with her love.

"Glinda." Elphaba's body shook as the tears of happiness once again took over. Glinda was staring at her saying her name. She was awake.

"Where am I?" Glinda asked as her eyes darted around her surroundings. She didn't know why she was in so much pain either.

"You're in the hospital wing." Elphaba smiled as she moved closer to her loves face.

Elphaba couldn't stand not kissing Glinda any longer and so she slowly brought their lips together, careful not to hurt the blonde.

Elphaba continued to cry as she felt Glinda kissing her back. She had gone months without a kiss being returned and now that it was she was the happiest woman in all of Oz. She would be content if she could just kiss Glinda like this for the rest of their existence.

Glinda was the first to break the slow kiss as she began to whimper once again. She hurt so much that even kissing Elphaba was not as enjoyable.

The green woman immediately let go of Glinda's lips, afraid that she had injured her in some way.

"It hurts so much Elphie." Glinda continued to whimper as her pain took back over. She wasn't aware of how long she had been in the hospital bed.

"I know it does but you have to fight it." Elphaba smiled encouragingly to her love. That's when she remembered that the doctor told her to get him when Glinda woke up.

"Doctor!" Elphaba yelled out the door. When there was no response she figured she better go get the doctor.

"Hold on my sweet. I have to get the doctor." Elphaba smiled and placed a light kiss on Glinda's forehead. She needed to get the doctor's attention.

"Don't leave me." Glinda whimpered as she tried to reach of a hand to grab Elphaba. That's when she felt the pain course through her body.

The next noise to fill the room was an agonizing scream.

The green woman looked over to her love as she screamed fearing that the doctor would put her back asleep.

"Shh don't yell Glinda! I can't afford to lose you again." Elphaba tried to quiet her love down.

Glinda stopped screaming and began to cry full force. Heart-wrenching sobs shook her entire body. It broke Elphaba's heart. Maybe putting her back asleep was a better idea actually. She couldn't stand seeing her love in this much pain.

The doctor quickly entered the room upon hearing Glinda's shrill scream.

"When did she wake up?" The doctor asked frantically as he walked over to Glinda's bed.

"About five minutes ago." Elphaba distanced herself from Glinda, allowing the doctor to examine her.

"How are you feeling Miss Glinda?" The doctor asked the frightened woman on the bed.

"It hurts." Glinda whimpered, never taking her eyes off of Elphaba. That's when she saw Elphaba's big belly and her eyes went wide.

"How long have I been in here!" Glinda half yelled half panicked as she watcher her lover.

"Three months." The doctor informed Glinda. "Now can you tell me exactly what hurts?"

"Three months?" Glinda screamed. She couldn't believe she had missed out on this much of life. What about Ella? How was she?

"Yes. Now please calm down. Can you tell me what hurts?" The doctor grew annoyed. Now was not the time to talk about what had happened recently.

Glinda stared at her love and then at her stomach. Elphaba should be around six months pregnant by now if the doctor was correct. The size of Elphaba's stomach proved to her that he was. She had been in her current state for three months.

"Glinda please tell the doctor what hurts." Elphaba pleaded with her love to listen. If she didn't then the doctor might just put her back to sleep.

"I…everything." Glinda was going to say something else but then decided against it.

"Everything?" The doctor asked.

"Yes." Glinda agreed that everything on her was sore.

"Do you think this pain is tolerable or not?" The doctor needed to know if he should put Glinda back to sleep.

"I don't want to go back to sleep." Glinda whimpered at the thought. She wanted to see Elphaba and Ella. She wanted to get better and return to them.

"So you will be all right until you heal?" The doctor wanted to make sure Glinda knew what she was asking.

"Yes." Glinda confirmed. She didn't know if she would be, the pain was excruciating, but she couldn't just give up.

"I will leave you to it then." The doctor got back up from his seat next to Glinda. "If you change your mind let me know."

And with that the doctor was gone, leaving Glinda and Elphaba alone.

"I've missed you so much." Elphaba smiled weakly as she made her way back towards Glinda's bed.

"I'm so sorry Elphie." Glinda apologized as her lover took a seat of the edge of her bed.

"For what my sweet?" Elphaba smiled as she brought her good arm up to stroke Glinda's cheek.

"I disobeyed you. I went to the prison to save you after you told me not to. I almost got myself killed because of it." Glinda smiled as she felt Elphaba's gentle touch. It was the only thing that was not hurting her at the moment.

"I forgive you." Elphaba smiled before leaning in to place a soft kiss on Glinda's lips. Now that Glinda could kiss back, she never wanted to not be kissing the blonde.

The two continued to kiss for a good ten minutes. The kisses never went deeper than soft pecks on the other's lips, but it was enough for both women. Glinda didn't know is she could handle anything heavier, and Elphaba didn't want to push. Just the mere closeness, and the gentle caresses upon the others lips were enough for her.

It was during this ten minute kiss session that Ella and Tahj returned to the room.

As soon as Tahj walked in the room he placed a hand over Ella's eyes shielding her from her parents.

Elphaba heard the door click open and so she pulled back against her own will.

"Glinda's awake." Elphaba smiled as she tried to remove the blush that had taken over her features.

"I see that." Tahj chuckled as he removed his hands from Ella's eyes. The child's eyes lit up when she saw her mother awake and staring at her.

"Mommy!" Ella screamed as she ran forward to her mother. Before she could reach the bed Elphaba scooped her up so she wouldn't hurt Glinda.

"You have to be gentle with mommy. She's very sore." Elphaba whispered into the little girls ear before letting her go.

Ella walked over to her mother a little slower this time. Glinda's face lit up at seeing her daughter. Her hair had gotten a little longer.

"Hey sweetheart. Come give mommy a hug." Glinda smiled as Ella's face lit up at hearing her mother's voice.

The three-year-old wasted no time in placing a light hug around Glinda's frame. She was careful not to hug too tight.

"I missed you mommy." Ella smiled into her mother's chest as the blonde hugged her with her good arm. Glinda had learned that her right arm wasn't injured as so she used that to her advantage.

"I missed you too Glinda." Tahj smiled as he walked over to the bed. "You gave us all a scare for awhile."

Glinda smiled at her old friend. She was glad to see that he had made it out of the prison alive. She was wondering where Fiyero was now.

"I'm sorry about that." Glinda tried to chuckle to lighten the mood. "Where's Fiyero?"

Glinda felt the mood in the room go down suddenly. Ella rose from her spot against Glinda's chest and looked towards Elphaba.

The green woman sighed heavily as she moved her good arm to pick Ella up. Ella always became upset whenever they would mention the man she now knew was her father.

"It's okay sweetheart." Elphaba shushed the sad girl as she held onto her with one arm.

"Did I do something wrong?" Glinda looked around the room confused. Why was everyone suddenly upset?

Tahj was the one to speak. "You didn't do anything wrong. Fiyero didn't make it."

Ella tensed against Elphaba's chest again as the green woman took a seat to help support Ella's weight. It was hard standing with one hand holding onto her.

Glinda's eyes went wide. Fiyero hadn't made it. He had died in the battle to protect Elphaba and herself.

"I…I'm sorry." Glinda apologized for assuming Fiyero had survived. Elphaba had still not spoken yet.

The room was silent for a couple of seconds before Elphaba finally spoke up.

"He died saying us." Tears fell down the green woman's cheek. She hadn't been able to talk about Fiyero's death since the memorial.

"He died a hero." Tahj added.

"He was a good man." Elphaba smiled as she remembered Fiyero.

"Indeed he was." Tahj smiled as well.

Glinda couldn't help but think she was missing something. She put it away though because Elphaba seemed really upset at the moment. The blonde decided a change in the conversation was in order.

"So what has happened in the past three months since I've been gone?" Glinda asked. She was actually really curious to see what had happened.

Ella smiled at her mother's question. So much had happened that she wanted to inform her about.

"Mama got better!" Ella smiled over at Elphaba who had indeed healed remarkably well.

"Mama?" Glinda raised an eyebrow.

"She insists on calling me that now. How could I say no?" Elphaba chuckled as she reached out with her good arm to tussle the light brown locks that belonged to Ella.

Glinda chuckled and couldn't help but smile. Her daughter had begun calling Elphaba mama. It meant just as much to the blonde as it did to Elphaba.

"I'm glad to see that you got better." Glinda smiled over at her love who did appear to be perfectly healthy. Then she noticed the sling around Elphaba's arm. Her face fell to a frown.

"What happened there?" Glinda gazed at Elphaba's dominant arm.

"It was crushed in the explosion. It's getting better though so don't worry." Elphaba waved her injury off. Glinda didn't need to be worrying about her.

"But if the explosion was three months ago shouldn't it have healed by now?" Glinda refused to believe Elphaba's insistence that it was nothing.

"It's just a stubborn wound." Elphaba countered. She knew that her injury would hinder her ability to move her right arm for the rest of her life but she didn't want to tell Glinda this. Glinda needed to focus on getting better herself.

"Oh." Glinda didn't seem satisfied but she let it drop. There would be more time to talk about that later on.

The rest of the afternoon was spent catching up on what the blonde had missed. There were a few tears, and a couple moments of laughter.

As Elphaba and Glinda said goodbye to Tahj for the night, Elphaba and Ella both nestled in on either side of Glinda's body.

That night was the first night Elphaba fell asleep with a smile on her face.


	50. Chapter 49

**A/N: So I have a feeling by the end of this chapter you won't like me too much…that's why I made it a little longer…please have mercy on me….goes and hides under a table now**

* * *

**Chapter 49**

Another month passed as Glinda's wounds began to heal properly. Now that the blonde was awake, it was easier for her to strengthen the muscles that had been injured in her accident. The only thing that still bothered her were her ribs, but she knew that that was normal. Ribs usually took half a year to heal. It had only been four months since the accident.

Elphaba was growing bigger as the days passed, and she no longer showed signs that she had ever been injured before, except her arm. The green woman was in physical therapy to learn how to gain use of the limb again, but was having little success. The surgery the doctors had performed had only placed the bones back in place; it did nothing for the torn tendons and muscles.

Tahj had healed completely as well. He no longer required the use of his cane to help him walk. His leg had gained full strength.

Ella was the same as ever. She was even happier now that her mother and Elphie were reconnected. She tried to spend as much time in the hospital wing as possible, but often grew tired of it and so Ella's nanny had to take her to do stuff.

It was on one of these outings that Ella had picked up a surprise gift for both her mommy and her mama. She knew that they were having a baby shower soon and so she decided to get them something.

"Guess what mommy!" Ella yelled as she dashed towards Glinda's hospital bed. The blonde had been moved out of the ICU a couple of weeks ago.

"What?" Glinda smiled as she saw her daughter run through the door.

"I gots you and mama something!" Ella bounced into her mother's arms to give her a hug.

"You did?" Glinda asked as she hugged her daughter.

"Uh huh." Ella shook her head up and down. "But you can't open it yet!"

"Aww. Why not?" Glinda pretended to pout, which earned her a giggle from her daughter.

"It's a surprise!" Ella giggled.

"I guess me and mama will have to wait then." The blonde smiled at her daughter. To this day she still couldn't believe how lucky she was. She had an amazing family who she loved and cared for, and they loved her in return. Everything was perfect.

"Where is mama?" Ella looked around the vacant room searching for the green woman.

"She wasn't feeling well and so she went to lay down." Glinda patted the spot next to her on the bed as she helped Ella into position.

"Is little sister making her sick?" Ella didn't like when Elphie got sick. She would often be sick for quite awhile.

"She's not meaning to sweetheart." Glinda smiled down at her daughter as she wrapped an arm around her. Mobility was a lot easier for Glinda now. She had full function of all her limbs, and they moved as they were supposed to. The only thing she had trouble with was standing. She still couldn't master that quite yet.

"I guess so." Ella pouted. She wished Elphie were here with her and her mommy. She loved when it was the three of them hanging out. The three of them had become even closer lately.

"So what did you do today?" Glinda asked her daughter a question to try and change the subject. She had seen Ella become slightly upset, and she didn't want that happening.

For the next hour or so Ella described her day to her mother and the two of the laughed and giggled. They spent some mother child bonding time together that they had desperately needed.

**XXX**

"Tahj I don't know what to do." Elphaba placed her forehead against her good arm.

The green woman had told Glinda that she wasn't feeling well, when in fact she went to Tahj for advice. Tahj was the only one that Elphaba trusted with this sort of information.

"It seems to me as if you need to talk to Glinda about this. I'm not going to be able to help you." Tahj offered up some advice to the distraught woman sitting across from him.

When Elphaba had come to his office he could tell right away something was bothering the green woman. After a little prodding, Elphaba finally confessed to the man. Now he was trying to provide comforting words and support.

"I can't bring this up with Glinda. She doesn't deserve this." Elphaba sighed heavily as she closed her eyes to block out the images.

"It is a problem that does concern her as well. I think she has the right to know. It's not like she isn't going to figure out eventually." Tahj placed a comforting hand on Elphaba's sling.

"I know." Elphaba continued to battle with her thoughts. "She doesn't deserve this though. She deserves more than what I can give her."

"You can get past this. I know you both well enough to know that this is just a minor setback." Tahj continued to consol the woman he now considered a best friend.

What Elphaba had told him had been a shock to say the least, but he needed to get past his own emotions to deal with hers. The green woman did have reason to believe that Glinda deserved more.

"Minor? There is nothing minor about this!" Elphaba allowed one of her mood swings to kick in. She was growing angry now.

Tahj noticed the change in Elphaba's attitude and immediately began to back off. He knew that he should calm her down before she stormed out of here in a fit.

"I'm sorry Elphaba. I never meant to offend you. This is major and I shouldn't have treated it as if it weren't." Tahj apologized to the angry woman.

Elphaba opened her eyes to look up at Tahj. All her anger immediately dissipated as she saw the confusion in her friend's eyes.

"I'm sorry Tahj. I didn't mean to blow up on you." The green woman sighed as she placed her good hand back on the table.

"I know and I accept your apology." Tahj smiled at his friend. He hadn't seen his this down in a month.

"It's just that I don't know what to do." The green woman looked up at her friend again. "I can't live like this and I know that Glinda can't either. She deserves more than what I can give her. I don't want her to suffer."

"And what do you suppose avoiding the topic is going to do? You're just going to end up hurting Glinda even more unless you tell her." The guard looked into the brown eyes of his friend. "If you skim around the subject then you will confuse her even more."

Elphaba groaned. "I know! Gah!" The green woman couldn't stand all of this. Her mind was telling her one thing and Tahj was telling her she should talk to Glinda.

"Don't do this because you feel pressured to. Just get Glinda alone and talk with her about what's bugging you. I know that she will understand. She might not like it…but she will understand." Tahj smiled encouragingly at his friend.

"Thank you." Elphaba smiled back. "You helped me with something I couldn't talk to anyone else about."

"That's what friends are for." Tahj smiled as he stood from his chair. "Now what are you doing here? Go find your woman!"

"Yes sir!" Elphaba chuckled as she stood up and walked towards the door.

As the green woman reached the door to exit, she stared back at Tahj.

"Thanks again." She smiled.

"Anytime." Tahj smiled back. "Now go!" he ushered the chuckling woman out from his office.

As soon as Elphaba had gone, Tahj went back to his desk and took a seat. He needed to sort through everything Elphaba has just told him. It was a little too much information for his taste, but he knew Elphaba wouldn't have come to him unless she was really struggling.

"Poor Glinda." Tahj said aloud as he sighed. Glinda was in for a surprise.

**XXX**

"Elphie!" Glinda bubbled as she saw her love stroll inside the room.

"Hey." Elphaba smiled to her two favorite women.

"Mama guess what!" Ella bounced off the bed and ran over to greet the green woman.

"What?" Elphaba smiled as she bent down to hug her adopted daughter.

"I gots you and mommy a present!" Ella nearly wiggled out of Elphaba's embrace from excitement.

"You did?" Elphaba acted surprised. She had known Ella's nanny was taking her out shopping though.

Ella giggled. "That's what mommy said. You silly!"

"Well I guess mommy and mama think a lot a like then." Elphaba smiled and the turned her attention towards her love.

Glinda smiled back at Elphaba and could barely contain herself any longer.

"Come over here and give me a proper hello." Glinda demanded as she stared sternly at the green woman.

"Yes ma'am." Elphaba smiled as got up from the floor to walk over to her love.

The green woman reached Glinda's bed before leaning down to place a soft kiss on her lips.

"Hello my sweet." Elphaba smiled as she pulled back from the kiss.

The blonde sighed as she saw Elphaba's smile. How fate had ever brought them together she'd never know, but she was grateful that it did.

"Hello." Glinda grinned at her love. "Feeling any better?" Her grin turned into concern.

Elphaba suddenly felt guilty about lying to Glinda about where she was. She hadn't been sick, she had just needed to talk to Tahj about something.

"I'm feeling much better." Elphaba's stomach filled with knots as she lied to her lover. She wasn't feeling better after her talk with Tahj. In fact she was feeling more anxious.

"I'm glad." Glinda smiled as she reached out her hand to pat Elphaba's stomach. "You better stop making mama sick or else I'm going to be one wicked witch when you get here." Glinda warned the fetus growing within her love.

"Mommy you aren't wicked." Ella giggled as she made her way back towards her parents.

"Says you." Glinda chuckled to her daughter before looking towards her lover and winking.

Elphaba smiled down at her family. She felt guilty for what she needed to talk to Glinda about.

A couple seconds of silence passed before Ella spoke up.

"I'm hungry. What's for dinner?" The little girl looked up to Elphaba who had her left hand placed on her shoulder.

"Whatever mommy wants." Elphaba looked to her love.

"Umm…how about tacos. We haven't had a taco night in a long time and it is Wednesday after all." Glinda knew this would please Ella.

"Taco night!!" Ella nearly screamed as she jumped up and down. She had missed taco night wither her mother. Now Elphie was here to share the experience.

"Taco's it is then." Elphaba announced. "I'll go inform the cook what to fix."

Elphaba leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Glinda's lips.

And with that the green girl exited the room.

**XXX**

Elphaba took the long route to the kitchen as she tried to sort through what Tahj had told her.

The green woman knew that Glinda would figure out eventually, but that still didn't change the fact that Elphaba didn't want to tell her.

Elphaba continued to walk slowly to the kitchen as she weighed her options.

**XXX**

"You sure took a long time." Glinda commented as Elphaba walked back into the hospital room.

"Sorry. I got sick along the way." Elphaba lied. The only thing that had made her sick were her thoughts.

"Oh I'm so sorry Elphie. I shouldn't have said anything." Glinda frowned. She hadn't meant to upset Elphaba by calling her out.

"Don't worry about it." Elphaba sat down in the chair next to Glinda.

"Don't I get a welcome back kiss?" Glinda tried to lighten the mood in the room. Ever since she had woken up, Elphaba had made sure to kiss her every time she left the room and whenever she came back.

"I have morning sickness breath." Elphaba lied again. She didn't know why she was resisted Glinda like she was, but that didn't stop her from doing it.

"Oh." Glinda frowned again. That was the first time Elphaba didn't kiss her after being away for more than fifteen minutes.

"Mommy I'm hungry when are the tacos going to be here?" Ella whined, as she grew hungry. Ella was the perfect little child until around dinnertime. Then she was another force to be reckoned with.

"Elphie?" Glinda turned towards her love that seemed to be far off somewhere.

"What?" Elphaba snapped out of her trance. "Oh. The tacos should be here in the next fifteen minutes." The green girl finally remembered the question.

"That's a long time." Ella pouted as her stomach grumbled. She had the appetite of her mother.

"It's not that long." Glinda tried to calm her daughter down.

Ella continued to pout for the next fifteen minutes until their food arrived.

"I'm glad to see taco night is reinstated. The shells were beginning to get lonely in the pantry." The cook laughed as he sat the tray of food down on the hospital table.

"Thank you Isaac." Glinda smiled to the cook. "I'm glad that taco night is back as well."

"We have all missed your appetite around here. It's good to see that coming back as well." Isaac smiled before exiting.

Glinda, Elphaba, and Ella all dug into their food as they talked about their days. Elphaba returned to the real world and was much more her self.

Glinda smiled contently as she watched her family trading jokes and jabs at one another.

She couldn't be happier.

**XXX**

Two more hours passed as the three of them ate their food and talked about everything under the sun.

Eight o'clock rolled around and it was finally time for Ella to go to sleep. She had a big day the next day. Ella's nanny was going to take her to the local playground. She had been looking forward to the visit for the past week or so.

"I don't want to go to bed." Ella pouted as Elphaba began to lead the little girl away from the hospital wing.

"But you have to go to bed. Don't you want to be all rested up for the playground tomorrow?" Elphaba linked hands with her three-year-old as the two continued to get farther from Glinda's room.

"But I'm not sleepy." Ella continued to pout, but allowed herself to be led away.

"I bet you'll be tired once you get into your pajamas." Elphaba tried to convince Ella.

The two of them were now outside of her door.

"Will you read me a story?" Ella put on her puppy dog eyes as she stared up at Elphaba.

There was no way the green woman could resist those eyes and so she agreed.

"One story and then its lights out." Elphaba warned as she helped Ella undress and get into her nightgown.

**XXX**

One hour and three stories later the green woman was finally able to escape from the grasps of Glinda's child.

Ella had sure inherited the manipulative power of her mother. She could find her way around anything.

"What took you so long my love?" Glinda asked as Elphaba walked into the hospital room.

"Ella decided one bedtime story meant three." The green woman chuckled as she walked back over to her love and climbed in bed next to her.

The two had been sharing a hospital bed ever since Glinda had woken up.

"She is good at that." Glinda giggled as she made room for her love.

"She's just like her mother." Elphaba teased as she placed her head upon Glinda's pillow.

"Aww thank you." Glinda took that as a compliment earning a chuckle from her love.

The two lovers continued to stare at each other for a little while before Glinda reached over and placed a soft kiss upon Elphaba's lips.

The green woman smiled into the kiss as she sought to deepen it.

The blonde sighed happily as she felt Elphaba try and part her lips with her tongue.

The two of them had not gotten much alone time since Glinda had woken up a month ago. The first two weeks Ella would not leave her mothers side, and the past two weeks Elphaba had been getting sick or something usually came up.

Glinda pulled back from the kiss to look into Elphaba's eyes.

"I love you Elphie. I don't know what I would have done without you." Glinda smiled as she reached a hand up to stroke Elphaba's cheek.

The green woman leaned into the touch as a smile appeared across her face.

"I love you too Glinda. More than words can express." Elphaba smiled before leaning in and once again capturing her love's lips within her own.

The two continued to kiss passionately for the next five minutes. It was when Glinda's petite hands began to wander under Elphaba's dress that she pulled back.

"Is something wrong?" Glinda questioned what the cause for interruption was. The two of them had not had sex since before the accident and Glinda needed to feel her love's gentle touch. She needed to make love to the woman lying next to her.

Elphaba stared into Glinda's eyes for a couple seconds as fear took hold. She wasn't ready to have this conversation with her love, not yet.

"I don't think we should be doing this." Elphaba motioned to Glinda's hand that was placed underneath her left breast.

"The doctors said it was okay as long as I didn't put pressure on my ribs." Glinda assured her love that this wouldn't be a problem.

"You talked to your doctor about our sex life?" Elphaba needed to take the pressure off of her and so she decided to pick a fight.

"It's not like that Elphie. I just asked him if it was all right if I had sex now. I wasn't sure if I was well enough." Glinda defended her actions. She didn't want Elphie getting upset.

"Well I don't think you are well enough." Elphaba snapped back. She didn't know where all of his anger was coming from.

"Elphie sweetheart please don't be angry with me. I just missed you so much and I missed making love to you. I want to make love to you Elphie. There are no kids around to get in our way this time. It's just you, me, and a bed." Glinda looked into Elphaba's eyes pleading for her to understand. Glinda wanted to make love to Elphaba and show her how much she had missed her.

"Well I don't think we should be making love this early. You are still injured and I am not going to hurt you anymore." Elphaba shook her head. She knew this wasn't her reason behind not wanting to make love to Glinda. The real reason was still too hard for her to say. Tahj had helped her out earlier, but she still lacked the confidence required to speak about it.

"I promise you won't hurt me." Glinda assured her love that that wouldn't be a problem. "If you even begin to get near my ribs I will let you know."

Elphaba sighed. This wasn't the reason and she was growing frustrated at lying to Glinda.

"I don't want to make love." Elphaba admitted. She couldn't stand Glinda trying to convince her that she wouldn't hurt her any longer.

"You what?" Glinda asked in disbelief as she stared at her love.

"I said that I don't want to make love to you." Elphaba repeated with a little more force.

"Did I do something wrong?" The blonde's eyes began to tear up. She couldn't understand why Elphaba wouldn't want to make love to her.

"Let's just drop this okay? I'm really tired." Elphaba sighed as she saw Glinda begin to cry. She hated causing her love pain but she couldn't discuss the reasons behind her confession just yet.

"How am I supposed to just forget that you don't want to make love to me? Your own fiancée for Oz sake! Was I too damaged in the accident that now you are repulsed by me?" Glinda's body began to shake as tears fell from her eyes. The only thing she could think was that Elphaba wasn't having sex with her because it was her fault.

"Glinda not everything is about you." Elphaba grew angry with Glinda. She was overeating.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Glinda sniffled.

"Did you ever think that maybe I don't want to have sex with you because I can't!" Elphaba exploded. She got up from the bed and started pacing the hospital room. What she hadn't wanted to talk about yet was now out in the open.

"What do you mean by that?" Glinda sniffled. She still believed that Elphaba didn't want to have sex with her because of something she did.

"Glinda how the hell do you expect me to make love to you when I can't even fucking move my arm!" Elphaba shouted. What she had talked to Tahj about earlier was now surfacing.

"You can move your arm…" Glinda trailed off. She didn't know where this was going but it obviously upset Elphaba.

"Not the one that I use to…well…to do whatever to you!" Elphaba clenched her jaw. Why did that rock have to fall on her right side? Why couldn't it have fallen on her left?

"Can't you just use the other one?" Glinda suggested.

"No I can't fucking use the other one! Can you use your non-dominate hand to do anything? No! I'm fucking useless. I can't even make love to you." Elphaba began to cry now. Everything she had been worried about was coming out. She had pretended that her arm hadn't bothered her when in fact it did. She found it difficult to do anything now a days.

"Elphie please calm down." Glinda tried to sooth her distraught love.

"Calm down? I can't fucking calm down! Not with you expecting me to make love to you when I can't! You don't know how badly I want to, but my fucked up hand won't allow it." The green woman continued to pace around the room.

Glinda had never seen Elphaba this upset, and in actuality it was kind of frightening.

"Elphaba I'm sure you will gain use of your arm again. Until then we can do other things. I don't need your _hand_ to make love to me. I need _you_ to make love to me." Glinda couldn't understand why this was such an issue. If Elphaba had just said something before, she would have found a way around it.

"Glinda you don't understand." The green woman let tears roll down her cheeks. "I will never be able to make love to you again. My arm is not going to get better."

Glinda's face froze, as she finally understood what Elphaba had been trying to tell her all along.

"See. Now you are the one repulsed by me." Elphaba took the expression on Glinda's face to mean that she was repulsed.

"I am not repulsed." Glinda spoke softly. "Elphaba please come back to bed."

"Why? So we can sleep next to each other and _not _make love? There's no point." The green woman continued to cry.

"Elphaba please." Glinda had to fight back her own tears as she asked her love once again to return to her.

"I'm useless." Elphaba said before walking over to Glinda's bed.

"Elphie sweetheart will you please lay back down." Glinda kept her voice calm.

The tone in Glinda's voice was beginning to frighten the green girl, but she obeyed and lay back down next to her love.

As soon as Elphaba was lying next to Glinda, the blonde reached her arms out and encircled them around her love.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Glinda whispered as she held onto Elphie. Her ribs were hurting but they could be damned for all she cared. Elphaba was her only priority.

The green woman sighed as she returned the hug.

"I was afraid." Elphaba began to tear up once again.

"Afraid of what?" Glinda stroked the green woman's back as she tried to calm her down. Elphaba was crying once again.

"That you'd leave me." The green woman closed her eyes to stop the tears that flowed. She felt completely vulnerable.

"I could never leave you." Glinda assured her love.

Elphaba broke down and began to sob audibly. The thought of Glinda leaving her because she couldn't perform was too much for her to handle.

"Shh. It's okay." Glinda whispered words of reassurance as she held onto Elphaba's shaking form. It broke Glinda's heart to see that this had upset her fiancée so much.

"I love you and nothing could ever change that." Glinda continued to stroke Elphaba's back as she cried.

Another ten minutes passed as Glinda continued to hold tightly onto Elphaba. The green woman's crying had ceased and Glinda was just about to ask if she was better now until she heard light snoring fill the air.

Elphaba had cried herself to sleep.

Glinda could contain her tears no longer and so she allowed them to fall.

"Oh Elphie why didn't you tell me sooner." Glinda continued to cry as she looked at her love's arm. "I don't care if you can't make love to me as we used to. All I care about is that you are safe and alive."

The blonde continued to cry against Elphaba's chest until she too fell asleep.


	51. Chapter 50

**A/N: Chapter 50 is here! Woo hoo! I'm patting myself on the back for making it this far, haha. Hopefully his chapter will redeem parts of the last chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter 50**

The next morning Elphaba awoke to a slight headache. She wasn't sure why there was a pounding in her head until she remembered the events of last night.

The green woman had allowed herself to become vulnerable and cry in Glinda's arms.

"_What the hell was I thinking?" _Elphaba thought as she sat up in bed. Glinda was still sleeping peacefully next to her.

Elphaba was angry with herself for allowing her emotions to take over. She would never act like this normally, it was those damn pregnancy hormones kicking in.

"Elphie?" A small noise broke through Elphaba's thoughts. She stared to her side to see Glinda's eyes were in fact open.

"Shh my sweet, go back to bed. I'm sorry I woke you up." Elphaba apologized to her lover. She knew that it was much too early for the blonde to be up. She was still recovering and so she needed all the sleep she could get.

"I'm not tired anymore." Glinda yawned. "Are you feeling better this morning?" Concern flooded the blue eyes.

Elphaba suddenly felt guilty for putting Glinda through that last night. She had overacted.

"I do. I'm sorry about last night. I just let everything pile up until it exploded." The green woman apologized to her lover as she laid back down on the bed. She didn't want Glinda to have to try and sit up.

"I could see that." Glinda smiled weakly and then turned serious again. "We do need to talk about this Elphie. It's not going to go away if we ignore it."

Elphaba sighed. Glinda was right. They did need to talk about this before all of the emotions piled up again.

"I don't know where to start." Elphaba replied honestly.

"How about at the beginning." The blonde smiled as she reached a hand over to place on Elphaba's sling. "Can I see?"

Elphaba hesitated a couple of seconds. She hadn't allowed her love to see the scar that stretched from her wrist to her elbow. She found the scar particularly ugly and hard to look at. Every time she saw it she was reminded of Leland and then of Fiyero. She grew sad.

"What is it my love?" Glinda retracted her arm as she noticed Elphaba begin to frown. She didn't want to be the cause of another outburst.

"I don't know why you want to look at it. It's ugly. I'm ugly." Elphaba sighed as she looked at the sling.

"Elphaba you are not ugly. You are beautiful. Scars and all." Glinda smiled as she reached her hand up to cup the green woman's cheek.

"Do you really want to see it?" Elphaba asked as she stared into the blue eyes of her love.

"If you will let me." Glinda smiled. She didn't want Elphaba to do anything that she didn't want to.

The green woman looked into Glinda's eyes hoping to find courage. When she found a glimpse of it she began to remove the sling from around her shoulder. She winced as it grazed past her sensitive skin.

Glinda never took her eyes off of Elphaba's as she removed the sling. It wasn't until Elphaba told her it was okay to look that she did.

Glinda stared down at Elphaba's arm and saw a scar that hadn't quite healed stretching from the green girl's wrist all the way to her elbow. The blonde had to admit that where the elbow ended the flesh was a little paler, as if it weren't getting as much blood flow as the other places.

The blonde reached up an arm and carefully traced the path of the scar. It was scary to think that one man was the cause of all of their pain.

"I told you it's not pretty." Elphaba finally broke the silence as she stared at her own arm.

"It's beautiful." Glinda smiled up at her love and then looked back to her arm. "Can you move it at all?"

Elphaba sighed. She didn't want this turning into another physical therapy lessons. Those hadn't seemed to be working.

"Not really. I can sort of wiggle my pinky but it hurts if I do so." Elphaba then attempted to wiggle her little finger for Glinda to see.

Glinda stared intently as the green woman tried to wiggle her finger. Had she blinked she would have missed it.

"I can't hold it for too long either. My muscles become too weak." The green woman explained why she had been so quick.

"At least it's something." Glinda replied encouragingly as she stared at her love.

Elphaba felt exposed. She had let Glinda see her scar that she had never wanted her to see.

Glinda could sense her girlfriend's mood shifting and she sought to end that from happening.

"How about we put your sling back on and you talk to me some more?" Glinda suggested as she picked up the sling from where Elphaba had laid it down.

The green girl relaxed considerably as she slipped the sling back into place.

"Now how come you didn't tell me all of this before? You kept telling me that your arm was fine." Glinda started the conversation right away. She needed to know what had scared Elphaba so bad that she had cried herself to sleep.

"I didn't want to believe it myself. Do you know how hard it's been for me to act like everything is peachy? I can barely hold a fork properly to feed myself! I can't write anything! I can't even make love to my beautiful fiancée! I feel like a child learning to ride a bike. I didn't want you to have to worry about me. I wanted you to get better." Elphaba admitted.

It hurt Glinda a little to hear all of this but she had to keep in mind that she had asked for the truth.

"I can worry about you and get better at the same time." Glinda finally spoke up.

"But that's the thing Glin. I don't want you to have to worry about me." The green woman looked into Glinda's eyes begging her to understand.

"Well it didn't seem that way when you cried yourself to sleep last night." Glinda countered. "You can't pretend like you don't need help or understanding."

Elphaba sighed. She had hoped Glinda would forget about her momentary lapse of sanity.

"Glinda I don't want to be treated any differently than before. I may be handicapped now but I am still the same Elphaba." The green woman didn't want Glinda to invade her life now that she knew she required assistance with everyday tasks.

"Exactly Elphaba. You are no different." Glinda smiled. "Meaning you and I can still make love to each other as we did before."

"I don't see how. My arm is completely useless." Elphaba huffed. She was trying to figure all of this out. She just wanted to make love to Glinda the way they used to.

"Your right arm may be useless but you still have your left. Plus there are other ways to achieve an orgasm Elphie." Glinda giggled as her last sentence caused the green woman to blush.

"I am not left handed though. I wouldn't know what to do." Elphaba tried to get past Glinda's last comment.

"Then together we will learn what works best for both of us." Glinda smiled. She was willing to wait for Elphaba to figure everything out. "I'll make you a deal."

"And what would that be?" Elphaba was intrigued.

"I'll use my left hand if you use yours." Glinda grinned. "That way neither one of us will know what we're doing!"

Elphaba couldn't help but chuckle at her love's suggestion.

"I mean it can't be that different…" Glinda continued to try and get the green girl to laugh. She knew that she needed it right now.

"And if that doesn't work there are always kisses!" Glinda giggled. "And I know for a fact that your tongue can do some pretty amazing things."

Elphaba blushed again but couldn't help but smile. Glinda was making her feel a lot better about this.

"And there's always toys…." Glinda tried to keep a serious face as she suggested the use of toys.

"No." Elphaba finally stopped chuckling to give a serious answer.

"Aww c'mon Elphie. They're the new rave!" Glinda giggled. She wasn't serious about the toys suggestion. She was just trying to lighten the mood.

"And why would you want a toy when you can have me?" Elphaba smirked as she moved closer to her love. "Am I not vibratey enough?"

Glinda's giggling turned into a look of shock at Elphaba's choice of words.

"Do I not sparkle or anything like those new toys?" Elphaba purred as she kissed below Glinda's earlobe.

Glinda closed her eyes and smiled as Elphaba kissed her on her pressure point. She loved when Elphaba would do that.

"You sparkle plenty." Glinda grinned as she felt Elphaba continue to lavish kisses along her neck.

"But I don't vibrate?" Elphaba pulled back long enough to tease the blonde.

"Not that I can recall. You might have to refresh my memory though." Glinda challenged the green woman.

Elphaba continued to stare into Glinda's blue eyes for the longest time. She saw all the love and encouragement in the world to continue. Her insecurities could be damned. She wanted to make love to Glinda, even if it took her twelve years to figure out how.

"Did you mean what you said before?" Elphaba asked her love.

"About what?" Glinda replied as she stared into the brown eyes of her love. How she had gone so long without staring into those eyes she's never know.

"About the whole left hand thing. I want to make love to you Glinda. I'm just not entirely sure that I know how." Elphaba admitted that she was afraid she might hurt her love.

"I meant it." Glinda smiled as she lifted her left hand from the bed and wiggled her fingers. "My left hand is ready for an adventure."

Elphaba chuckled as she grabbed a hold of Glinda's hand within her own. The two looked down at their intertwined left hands.

"Together?" Glinda asked as she raised the interlocked hands above their bodies.

"Together my sweet." Elphaba smiled before reaching over to place a kiss on Glinda's lips.

The kiss started out slow and light but eventually gained in speed and depth.

Elphaba had been so afraid to go any further than kissing her love for so long that it felt good to let everything go. The green woman put everything she had into kissing Glinda passionately. She knew that she might fumble with her hands at first, but her kisses would stay the same.

Glinda reveled in the touch of Elphaba kissing her so passionately. The two had kissed quite a bit for the past month but nothing like this. This was the kind of kiss they saved for when they were going to make love to one another.

Elphaba pulled back from a panting Glinda to glance towards the door. She hadn't locked it the night before because she knew they weren't getting anywhere. Now she wished she had taken care of it then.

"What's the matter? Am I hurting you?" Glinda became concerned once Elphaba pulled back. "Is this too fast?"

"Shh." Elphaba shushed the babbling girl next to her. Glinda was too adorable when she was worried. "I have to go lock the door."

"Oh." Glinda sighed in relief at learning that nothing was bothering Elphie.

"Save my spot." Elphaba chuckled as she jumped up from bed to go lock their door.

"You bet." Glinda smiled as she watched her girlfriend twist the lock. She couldn't wait for what was going to happen next.

When Elphaba returned to the bed she wasted no time in picking back up where the two had left off. The green woman was extremely careful not to go anywhere near Glinda's ribs, despite her desire to caress the blonde's breasts.

"I love you Elphie." Glinda sighed breathlessly as Elphaba moved from her mouth to her throat.

"And I love you my precious." Elphaba smiled as she continued on her path. She was going to make love to Glinda no matter how difficult it may be. The green woman always did like a new challenge.

**XXX**

One hour later Glinda and Elphaba lay next to each other not really speaking. They both were staring at the ceiling, as if there was something extremely interesting on it.

"Well that was…uh…" Glinda was the first to speak after their lovemaking session.

"Interesting." Elphaba offered to complete her love's sentence.

"Yes. Interesting." Glinda agreed and the two remained quiet for a little longer. The silence was unbearable for the green woman. Had she really performed so horribly?

"Was it really that bad?" Elphaba turned her head to the side to stare at Glinda. Glinda didn't turn her head to look at Elphaba.

"It wasn't bad. It was…different." Glinda replied. She didn't know what to think of the sex the two of them had just had. At some points it was pleasurable but others it was just frustrating. She would want Elphie to move one way and the green girl tried but couldn't. It was more frustrating than enjoyable in the end.

Elphaba sighed. She knew that she shouldn't have tried so hard. She could tell that Glinda was extremely frustrated during their lovemaking. It was as if she was hitting the spot but was a millimeter off. She could never quite get her bearings.

"I'm sorry." Elphaba felt as if she should apologize. It was her fault that Glinda hadn't enjoyed their first sex in four months. It should have been Oz shattering and memorable. Instead it was just mediocre.

"Don't apologize Elphie." Glinda immediately felt bad about her answer before. She should have lied and told her that it was great.

"But I didn't please you. I saw your forehead wrinkle like it does when you are frustrated." Elphaba couldn't help but feel as if this was all her fault.

"Elphie that was our first time like that. It will get better I promise. Do you remember the first time after the glamour spell?" Glinda offered up a past example to ease her loves mind.

Elphaba remembered back to the first time Glinda and her had ever made love. It was quite awkward at first because the two of them had never been with another woman. They didn't know who was supposed to be on top or who was supposed to be pleasuring who. It took a long time for them to get in the rhythm and forget about everything else.

"Yeah." Elphaba admitted that she remembered their first time together.

"See. That was just as clumsy as right now. At least it goes to show that we will get better with practice." Glinda giggled softly as she tried to lighten the mood.

"I guess so." Elphaba responded. She still felt a little disappointed in herself.

"Maybe next time I can help guide your hand." Glinda suggested to help her girlfriend gain her bearings.

"But you shouldn't need to do that. I should be able to know where to press to make you squirm." Elphaba groaned. Glinda's suggestions were doing little to help her.

"I'm sorry. I thought I was helping." Glinda apologized again.

"It's not your fault. I'm just frustrated right now." Elphaba admitted.

"I know." Glinda smiled encouragingly to her love.

The two of them remained wrapped up together for about fifteen more minutes before Glinda decided that they should probably get dressed before the doctor tore down the door.

After the two of them were dressed once again, Elphaba took her position lying next to Glinda.

"I love you Elphie. Thank you for indulging me this morning." Glinda smiled as she linked hands with Elphaba's good arm.

"I love you too Glinda. And I hope that next time will be more pleasurable." Elphaba smiled and kissed the top of Glinda's head.

"I have no doubt that it will be." Glinda chuckled as she poked fun at Elphie.

"Hey! It wasn't that horrible!" Elphaba acted offended. She knew the best way to forget about things was to joke about them.

"Oh please. I could have done better by myself." Glinda sighed dramatically as she played along.

"Oh really?" Elphaba was intrigued. "Well then maybe next time I'll just have to watch you so you can show me how it's done."

Glinda's face became red at the idea of pleasuring herself in front of Elphaba.

"Or maybe next time I'll join in." Elphaba saved Glinda from total embarrassment.

"I think I like that idea." Glinda squeaked as she tried to regain her voice.

Elphaba chuckled as she wrapped her good arm around Glinda's shoulders.

"I like that idea too." The green woman smiled.

The two lovers laid like that for a while as they waited for the doctor to come in. All thoughts of their morning love session were stored in the far ends of their minds. Something they could drudge up when they needed a good laugh years down the road.


	52. Chapter 51

**Chapter 51**

Ella was the first one to find the pair of lovebirds snuggled up on Glinda's hospital bed.

"Morning!" Ella bounced into the room towards her parents.

"Good morning sweetheart." Glinda smiled at her daughter as she scooted over to make room for the little girl.

"Did you sleep well?" Glinda helped Ella into the bed as she asked how she slept.

"Yep." Ella confirmed that she had.

"Hey Ella isn't your nanny supposed to take you to the playground today?" Elphaba asked the three-year-old. She didn't mind that she was here; she was just a little surprised.

"I wanted to say hi to you first." Ella grinned. She knew how to suck up to her parents very well.

"Aww how sweet." Glinda cooed. She was falling into Ella's trap.

"I'm sweet." The three-year-old continued to act all cute and innocent.

Elphaba was wondering what Ella was up to. Normally she didn't play the adorable card unless she wanted something or something was up.

"Is there any particular reason you wanted to say hi to us this morning?" The green woman asked. She wasn't falling for whatever spell Glinda was under.

"Because I love you!" Ella continued to smile. She was unfazed by Elphaba's attempts to gain access to her secrets.

"Aww I love you too." Glinda smiled as she reached over to hug her daughter.

The green woman couldn't help but smile, but there was still a nagging in the back of her mind that told her this was all for show.

"Hey mama can I have a hug." Glinda pouted after not receiving a hug from Elphaba.

"Of course." Elphaba smiled before hugging her daughter. The green woman still couldn't figure all of this out. Was Glinda in on this?

While Elphaba hugged Ella she swore she could hear the little girl snickering. She was definitely up to something. Before she could pull back and ask what, the door to their room burst open.

The green woman jerked up to see a mass of people all huddled around a cart. On the cart was a cake.

"Happy Birthday!" The crowd cheered as they rolled the cart into the room.

Elphaba was beyond shocked. She had been so stressed out lately that she forgot it was her birthday. Birthdays had never been a big event for her anyways. The only person to ever celebrate her birthday before was Fiyero…

Fiyero...He would never get to celebrate with her again.

Elphaba's facial expression went from surprised to sad in a split second.

Glinda noticed this and whispered into her love's ear. "Are you okay? I didn't think a small party would upset you."

Elphaba turned to look at her love. The green woman's face was unreadable.

"This was your idea?" Elphaba finally found words to speak.

"Yeah…" Glinda didn't know how else to respond. Did Elphaba actually think that she would forget her twenty-sixth birthday?

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Iris! Happy birthday to you!" The crowd of people cheered as they lit the candles on the cake.

Elphaba looked up to see the ringleader of the crowd. It was Tahj. She couldn't believe that he had kept this from her when they talked yesterday.

"Blow out the candles birthday girl!" Tahj smiled towards Elphaba. He thought the look on her face was still one of shock. Instead she was feeling quite overwhelmed and all of a sudden wanted to cry.

And so she did.

Glinda watched as her fiancée began to tear up for no apparent reason. Had the surprise party upset her that much? Glinda suddenly felt guilty. She shouldn't have sprung this on the green girl like she did. She knew that Elphaba didn't like parties. Especially not after what happened at Ella's.

Tahj too noticed the change in Elphaba's attitude and immediately grew worried. Had they walked in at the wrong time? Were Glinda and Elphaba in the middle of their important conversation when they barged in? He didn't understand why Elphaba would be crying over this. And from the looks of it they weren't tears of happiness.

"Can you give us five minutes?" Glinda asked all of the people who had come to wish Elphaba a happy birthday. She needed to talk to her love, but she couldn't do it with all of these people around.

"Sure." Tahj knew that the two women needed to talk this over. "We'll be outside for when the birthday girl's up for it." He smiled encouragingly as he walked out. The crowd disappeared once again behind the door to their room. Tahj had taken Ella with him when they went outside and so now it was just Elphaba and Glinda alone in the room.

"What's wrong my love?" Glinda reached a hand up to wipe the tears that had fallen from the green girl's eyes.

Elphaba didn't know what was wrong. She all of a sudden had the urge to cry and she didn't know why. That seemed to be happening a lot lately.

"Was the surprise party too much?" Glinda continued to ask her love questions as the green woman tried to stop crying. "I tried to keep it to just our friends."

The green woman shook her head as more tears threatened to flow. "I…I can't do this."

"Do what Elphie?" Glinda continued to try and soothe her fiancée. She had never seen Elphaba this emotional. These past two days she had seen more emotion out of the green woman than she had ever seen before.

"The party." Elphaba's voice hitched as a knot formed in her throat. She continued to cry.

"I can get them to leave. I never meant to upset you." Glinda felt horrible. She should have never planned this without Elphaba's consent.

"I…It…" Elphaba began to explain but found that she couldn't speak anymore. The knot in her throat was too much and so she cried to get it out.

"Shh sweetie. It's okay." Glinda reached out and once again wrapped her arms around the green woman. She pulled her close and placed her the green woman's head upon her chest. Glinda's ribs were killing her at the moment but she didn't care. She hated to see the woman she loved crying again.

Five minutes passed as Elphaba clung to Glinda and cried. She felt completely vulnerable and didn't want to let go for anything. Glinda continued to try and calm her love but nothing seemed to be working. She couldn't figure out what she had done to upset Elphaba so much.

Another couple minutes passed before Ella popped her head in the door.

"Is mama okay?" The three-year-old asked cautiously as she stepped into the room.

Glinda looked up at her daughter as Elphaba tightened her one handed grip around her back and dug her head further. She wasn't ready to be seen yet.

"Mama needs some more time. Can you please go tell Tahj to call the party off?" Glinda hated canceling everything but she knew that they would wait around for an hour before the green girl would let up. "And then when you are done get Tahj to take you to your nanny."

"Okay." Ella agreed as she took one last glance at her mama clinging to her mommy. She couldn't understand why the green woman was so upset. Ella loved birthday parties.

A couple more seconds passed before Ella exited and left Glinda and Elphaba alone once again.

"It's just you and me again Elphie. No one else to worry about. I'm not going anywhere." Glinda whispered into her love's ear once Ella had left.

Elphaba had stopped crying by now but she still hugged Glinda a little too tightly for her comfort.

"Are you ready to talk about it now?" The blonde didn't want to upset the green woman further but she knew that Elphaba wouldn't feel better until she talked about it.

"I don't know if I can." The green woman admitted. She knew what had triggered her meltdown but she didn't understand the magnitude of it.

"Do you at least want to try?" Glinda encouraged as she led Elphaba's head away from her chest so she could stare into her eyes.

"It wasn't the party. I mean I was surprised and all. But that's not it." Elphaba sniffled as she stared at her love.

"Then what was it my love?" Glinda stared back. She could see that Elphaba's emotions were all conflicted.

"I…I've never had my birthday celebrated before…except…except for the past few years." Elphaba couldn't say Fiyero's name. She knew that Glinda would understand what she meant though.

Glinda took a second to think about what this meant but when she did she immediately felt sorry. How could she have been so stupid to think that Elphaba wouldn't think about Fiyero on her birthday? He had been the first one to ever celebrate it after all. Not even Glinda celebrated it back at Shiz because it occurred when they loathed each other.

"I'm so sorry Elphie I should have known." Glinda apologized as her own eyes began to water. She couldn't believe that she had forgotten how Fiyero's death might still effect Elphaba.

"Don't cry Glinda. Please." Elphaba didn't want her girlfriend crying as well. She had had enough of a breakdown for the both of them.

"I should have know that you weren't over this. I shouldn't have sprung all of this on you like this." Glinda continued to apologize as she tried not to cry for her love.

"It's not your fault Glinda. Even without the party I would have still thought about it once you wished me happy birthday." Elphaba tried to get her girlfriend to see this wasn't her fault. "I'm just overly emotional right now."

"You're pregnant, it's expected." Glinda chuckled a little bit at Elphaba's last statement.

"I hate feeling so sad and helpless all the time." The green woman sighed. She hated not having control over her hormones.

"It will get better sweetheart. I promise." Glinda smiled encouragingly as she placed a hand over Elphaba's enlarged stomach.

"You know today was the first time I truly cried for him." Elphaba interrupted Glinda's action. She needed to talk about this, it had been eating her up for long enough.

Glinda didn't know what to say. She was grateful that Fiyero had risked his life to save the both of them, but a part of her still didn't like him. At least not the way that Elphaba still seemed to care for him.

"It's been four months and I haven't shed hardly a single tear. What does that say about me?" Elphaba stared up at the ceiling. She felt disgusted with herself.

"Elphie you can't blame yourself for anything. You've been stressed out beyond belief these past four months." The blonde tried to get Elphaba to see that none of this was her fault.

"Too stressed to even say a proper goodbye? I only went to his memorial because I was forced." Elphaba bit her bottom lip. "He died saving us and I don't even have two minutes to thank him."

"Elphie don't look at it like that. You are thanking him just by being alive. That is all he ever really wanted." Glinda rubbed soothing circles on her love's stomach as she spoke.

"I feel selfish Glin. Like I took something that belonged to him and never gave it back." The green woman continued to stare at the ceiling.

"Like what?" Glinda asked. She was intrigued as to what Elphaba had thought she had stolen from Fiyero.

"His heart." The green woman stopped looking at the ceiling and over to her girlfriend.

Glinda had stopped her motions on the green woman's stomach as she looked into conflicted brown eyes.

"I…I can't help you with that Elphaba." Glinda finally spoke up. She didn't know why Elphaba had to bring the matter of love into the subject. Glinda was not the person to talk to about this.

"I can't help myself either." The green woman stared into blue eyes before returning her gaze to the ceiling.

The pair of them remained quiet for a little while longer before a light tapping sounded at the door.

"Come in." Glinda called out once she say that Elphaba was doing all right.

Tahj peeped his head through the door. He was concerned about his two friends. He had never seen Elphaba cry like that before.

"Is everything okay?" Tahj asked in a big brother fashion. He kept his body outside of the door and only his head inside.

"You can come in Tahj. Everything is better." Glinda lied. Everything wasn't better. Elphaba would not allow herself to let go of the guilt that held her down.

Tahj walked into the room and glanced over to the position the two women were in. Glinda was lying almost flat on the bed and Elphaba was in a curled up position staring at the ceiling.

"How are you feeling Elphaba?" He spoke to the green woman as he took a seat next to the pair.

"Pregnant and hormonal." Elphaba tried to form a joke. She needed a distraction from her own guilt at the moment.

Tahj chuckled lightly. "Yes. That will often cause women to change emotions in the matter of milliseconds." He smiled encouragingly as Elphaba flipped over so she was now facing him.

"Did I completely ruin the party?" The green woman asked her friend. She didn't know what else to say to Glinda at this point.

"Nope. And as a matter of fact…" Tahj whistled and the same birthday crew entered the room once again.

"I figured you'd need some sugar and ice cream after your debacle earlier." Tahj smiled hoping that he had done the correct this in ignoring Glinda's wishes.

"You didn't have to wait." Elphaba was frustrated but she didn't let that emotion show. She had already ruined her first party.

"Well it's your birthday and as such, it is means for celebrating." Tahj got up from the chair and went over to the cart where he grabbed a hat that read 'Birthday Girl'.

"Here put this on." Tahj tossed the hat over the to the green woman.

"Are you serious?" Elphaba looked down at the hat in disbelief. How was she expected to wear something that was…well pink?

"Yep." Tahj smiled as he began to light the candles with the assistance of his helper Ella.

Glinda didn't know what to think of all of this. She knew that parties seemed to upset Elphaba now but she seemed to be doing all right. Or maybe it was just an act. She couldn't tell.

"Will you cry if we sing to you again?" Tahj poked fun of Elphaba.

"If you're the one singing then probably." The green woman shot back.

"Ouch." Tahj acted offended. "Fine then. Ella will you do the honors." Tahj moved Ella to the front of the group.

"Happy birthday to you…" Ella started the song off as the rest of the crew joined in.

By the end of the song Elphaba was feeling a little more balanced and in control of her emotions.

"Now blow out the candles!" Tahj pushed the cart forward so Elphaba could do as she was told.

As soon as the candles were out everyone cheered and went about the normal birthday festivities.

Somewhere between cutting the cake and a moderated version of pin the tail on the donkey, Elphaba found herself smiling.

"Are you feeling better my love?" Glinda asked as she tried to eat her cake.

"I am." Elphaba smiled over at her love. "Thank you for this." Elphaba felt bad that she had ever brought any of this up with Glinda. She should have been more considerate towards the blonde's feelings.

"Happy birthday." Glinda smiled as she leaned in to give her love a kiss.

"Eww not in front of the kids!" Tahj interrupted the two. He was really full of himself today.

"You're right. Tahj you leave and then there will be no kids to worry about." Elphaba pulled back from the kiss to tease her friend. The room erupted into laughter as Elphaba one-upped the head guard.

"Hey! What about her!" Tahj pointed towards Ella who was eating her third helping of cake.

Ella looked up from her cake as the room stared at her. She had frosting all over her face and hands.

"Whav I voo?" Ella tried to ask with her mouth stuffed with cake.

Glinda giggled at seeing her child covered in frosting. She was so like her mother at that age.

"You ate too much cake that's what you did!" Elphaba leveled a glare at her adopted daughter.

Ella smiled sheepishly as she tried to swallow what was in her mouth.

The little girl was distracted which Elphaba took as an opportunity to attack.

Before Ella knew it, Elphaba had sprung from the bed and picked the three-year-old up.

"I'll get you my pretty." Elphaba chuckled as she gracefully threw Ella onto the bed where her mother was.

Ella was giggling as she fell to the soft mattress.

The green woman then instigated a tickle war with the help of Glinda and Tahj. The other party guests just sort of watched with amused expressions on their face.

"Mama! Sto…stop!" Ella tried to yell between giggles. Elphaba didn't let up.

"You ate too much cake! Now you have to face the consequences!" Elphaba joked as she continued to tickle the child. Glinda was smiling and would reach a hand over every now and then to help, but mainly she just watched. She knew that Elphaba was going to make a great mother to Ella and to their child whenever she arrived.

"I'm sorry!" Ella tried to squirm away from Elphaba's grabbing hand. Tahj chuckled as he let up and allowed Elphaba to finish her off.

"Sorry won't bring back the cake you ate!" Elphaba chuckled as she continued to tickle the backside of Ella's knee. The three-year-old was almost in tears she was laughing so much.

Elphaba continued to tickle her daughter until her hand grew tired. Since she could only use one, tickling was a little harder for her.

"Are you done harassing our daughter now?" Glinda asked playfully as she saw Elphaba stop her motions.

"I wasn't harassing! I was teaching her a lesson." Elphaba stuck her tongue out in a very unlady like move.

"And what would that be?" Tahj chuckled as he picked the wiggling three-year-old up and placed her on his shoulders.

"If you eat too much cake you get tickled." Elphaba put on a serious face as she turned towards Tahj.

"Hum…I don't remember being taught that lesson when I was younger." Tahj tried to wrack his brain for a memory.

"That's because you were never a kid grandpa!" Elphaba teased Tahj once again.

"Hey! Just earlier you said I was the only kid in the room and now I'm a grandfather?" Tahj acted offended.

"Eh. You can be both." Elphaba chuckled.

"Okay you two. Playtime's up." Glinda interrupted the banter. She loved seeing Elphaba happy and comfortable around Tahj but now she wanted her to herself.

"Sorry mother." Tahj apologized in a playful tone.

"Yes." Elphaba agreed. "Sorry mom!"

"Oh no. You two are not ganging up on me now. And dear I do hope that you think of me as something different than a mother. Or else we have some serious issues." Glinda chuckled.

"We'll see about what I think of you later." Elphaba winked to her love, which caused Glinda to blush slightly.

For the next two hours the party guests began to wither away until it was only Elphaba and Glinda left. Tahj had taken Ella to the playground himself.

"Did you have fun today my love?" Glinda asked as she snuggled up against her love.

"I did actually. I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have let my emotions take over like that." Elphaba still felt guilty about earlier.

"It's expected when you're pregnant." Glinda chuckled. "Just don't do it once the baby gets here."

"I won't." Elphaba smiled as she began to play with Glinda's right hand.

"Mmm Elphie. That feels good." Glinda smiled as she closed her eyes to enjoy the sensations Elphaba's hand was making her feel.

"It's a small token of my appreciation." Elphaba smiled as she continued to caress Glinda's hand and eventually her arm.

The two of them continued to lay like that for a while. All thoughts of guilt and birthday parties long forgotten. In that moment it was just the two of them.


	53. Chapter 52

**A/N: So I felt really good writing the last scene of this chapter. I hope you feel good reading it. This one is dedicated to DarkwolfKnight because…well just because. She'll know why. And I am still expecting that Oneshot!**

**Chapter 52**

One month passed by quickly. Elphaba had now reached thirty-six weeks and from the size of her belly it looked as if she could go at any second. Glinda was finally able to walk with the assistance of someone holding on to her. Ella became more and more anxious as the days passed for her little sister to arrive. And Tahj continued to watch over the happy family.

Since the day of Elphaba's birthday party things had gotten a lot better between Elphaba and Glinda. Elphaba no longer had reservations when she would make love to Glinda, and Glinda no longer craved for anything more. She had learned to adapt to their new ways of love making and had found she had enjoyed it as much as she had before. Elphaba certainly wouldn't let her injured arm bring her down. She was quickly learning to use her left hand for everyday tasks. Eating wasn't as difficult anymore, writing was a little less challenging, and making love to Glinda seemed easier.

It seemed as if everything was going fine between the family of three, soon to be four.

Today was the day of Elphaba's baby shower. Glinda had made sure only to invite their closest of friends.

"Honey are you ready to go to the party?" Glinda asked her fiancée as she clasped a pair of earrings to her ears. They had decided to put the wedding off until after the baby was born. Elphaba had said she didn't want to get married looking like a blimp.

"I will be in a second!" The green woman called from the bathroom as she finished putting on a little bit of makeup. The old Elphaba would have never put on makeup, but these pregnancy hormones were really starting to make Elphaba feel a lot girlier. She often found herself wanting to paint her nails, or even go shopping. At first Glinda had found this kind of frightening, but by now she had grown accustomed to it.

"I'm ready whenever you are." Glinda called back as she stood up from her chair. She had her weight leaning on the desk and so standing was not a problem. She had wanted to stand ever since leaving the hospital three weeks ago. She had sat for nearly four months and was sick of it.

"Ready." Elphaba called as she exited from the bathroom. "How do I look?"

Glinda rolled her eyes at her fiancée's sudden interest in appearance.

"You look great." Glinda smiled, trying to mask her annoyance. Back at Shiz she had wanted to make Elphaba over so badly, but now actually seeing it on a daily basis was disconcerting. She missed the old Elphaba and couldn't wait to get her back once the baby arrived.

"You don't seem too convincing Glinda. Should I wear another dress? Does this one make me look fat?" Elphaba stared down at her dress and checked to make sure there were no wrinkles or anything on it. She couldn't look unpresentable at her own party.

"Elphie you are pregnant. You don't need to be worrying about how anything looks on you." Glinda replied as she looked her loves appearance over.

"But I don't want to look _too _pregnant." Elphaba huffed as she went back over to the wardrobe. "I'll just change."

"Elphie you look fine!" Glinda made her way over to the green woman by clutching on to the walls.

"But you said I looked fat in this." The green woman ignored her girlfriend and continued going through her racks of clothes. "Damn it! Why don't I have anything else to wear?" she yelled as she continued to riffle through the clothes.

"Elphie sweetheart it's all right. You look gorgeous. Just please let's go. We don't want to be late to the baby shower." Glinda grabbed a hold of the distraught green woman's arm.

"Are you sure I look okay?" The green woman turned to the mirror that was across the room. "Is my hair okay?" She lifted her hand to try and give it some volume.

"Sweetheart you're killing me!" Glinda groaned. Why did Elphaba have to turn into a society type girl when she was pregnant? If anything, Glinda had become more 'normal' while pregnant with Ella.

"Why? Did I accidentally hit you in the ribs?" Elphaba took Glinda literally.

"Let's just go Elphie!" Glinda whined as she tried to pull the green woman away from the wardrobe.

"Are you sure I look okay?" The green woman continued to ask as Glinda led her away from the room.

"You look fine!" Glinda alliterated again before coming to a stop. Tahj was up ahead and she wanted to say hi to him before they went to the shower. He wasn't allowed since he was a guy.

"Tahj!" Glinda called out as she changed direction and headed towards their dearest friend.

"Glinda. Elphaba." Tahj nodded to the two approaching women. "My Elphaba you look big as a house!" Tahj joked with the green woman although Elphaba didn't take it as such.

The green woman shot a glare at her fiancée. Glinda had to cower away at the way Elphaba was looking at her.

"I told you I should have picked another dress!" Elphaba yelled as she stormed off back in the direction of their room.

Glinda was left clutching the side of Tahj's jacket for support.

"What was that all about?" Tahj asked as he shifted Glinda in front of him.

"She's very sensitive about her weight right now and you're not helping!" Glinda swatted at her friend's arm.

"Our Elphaba sensitive about her weight?" Tahj mocked before laughing.

"Oh don't give me that. I have to put up with this twenty-four seven. It's not normal!" Glinda huffed as she stared at her chuckling friend.

"Well you have to admit she is getting rather large. I don't remember you ever being that big when you were pregnant with Ella." Tahj tried to defend his reasons for calling Elphaba a house.

"Even if that's true you don't need to throw that in her face!" Glinda continued to steam.

"Whoa, I'm sorry if I offended." Tahj stuck his arms up in defense.

"Now please help me back to my room so I can collect my crazed fiancée!" Glinda pulled on Tahj's arm to help her back.

"As long as you agree that she is crazy." Tahj smiled before offering his arm out to Glinda.

**XXX**

Elphaba threw clothes up in the air as she tried to search for another dress that wouldn't make her look so pregnant. She wasn't having much luck. Everything that she liked no longer fit her.

"Damn it!" The green woman yelled as she slammed a drawer shut. There was nothing to wear.

"Sweetheart please calm down." Glinda's melodic voice came from the doorway. She had been watching Elphaba tear through her wardrobe for the past minute.

Elphaba looked up towards the door to see her love standing there. Her perfect love, her perfectly skinny love. It didn't make her feel any better.

"There's nothing to wear! I can't go to the shower looking like a house!" The green woman went over to help Glinda walk into the room.

"You don't look like a house Elphaba now calm down." Glinda tried to be as calm as she could.

"Tahj called me a house!" Elphaba shot back furiously as she lowered Glinda onto their bed.

"Tahj was messing with you my love. You are gorgeous." Glinda smiled encouragingly to her love.

"I don't feel gorgeous. I feel fat." The green woman sat next to Glinda on their bed.

"You are not fat Elphie! You are pregnant! There is a difference." Glinda scooted closer to her love and reached her arm out to rub Elphaba's belly.

"You didn't deny that I wasn't overly pregnant though." Elphaba huffed as Glinda continued to rub her belly.

"Overly pregnant? How can anyone be overly pregnant?" Glinda chuckled lightly as she lowered her head to press it against Elphaba's stomach. "I think I hear her tiny heart beating." The blonde smiled as she closed her eyes.

"You probably just hear my stomach rumbling. I'm kind of hungry." Elphaba admitted as she brought a hand up to stroke Glinda's hair.

"Well you wouldn't be hungry if we had left on time for the baby shower." Glinda scolded as she removed her head.

"How can I go if people will think I'm fat?" Elphaba huffed once again. She wasn't liking the idea of everyone seeing her so pregnant.

"They won't think you are fat! They will know you are pregnant. It is a baby shower after all Elphie. Give these people some credit." Glinda stood up from the bed and offered her hand out to Elphaba.

"So I don't look like a house?" Elphaba needed to hear it again.

"You don't look like a house." Glinda affirmed as Elphaba stood up beside her. "Now can we get to the party? Ella is probably already talking the heads off of all the guests." Glinda chuckled lightly.

"Lead the way." Elphaba sighed before resigning to the fact that she couldn't skip her own baby's shower. Even if she did feel as big as a house.

**XXX**

"Mommy! Mama!" Ella yelled as she spotted her parents coming towards the room of the party.

The three-year-old sprinted her way towards them. Elphaba barely had time to comprehend what was happening before Ella latched herself onto her leg.

"There you all are!" One of Glinda's friends came up to shuffle the family into the party room.

"Sorry we're late. Iris over here had a fashion emergency." Glinda chuckled as she allowed herself to be led into the room.

"It was not a fashion emergency!" Elphaba replied. "It was a fashion crisis!"

Even the green woman couldn't keep a straight face at that and soon began to laugh along side her love.

"Whatever you need to believe dearest." Glinda giggled as she sat down in a seat so Ella could sit on her lap.

"You wouldn't have liked it either if you had nothing to wear!" Elphaba huffed as she sat next to her love. People began to take their seats.

Glinda smirked as she leant over to whisper into her loves ear.

"If I was wearing nothing then there is no way we would have made it down here." Glinda purred into Elphaba's ear causing the green woman to flush.

"Are you okay mama? You look sick." Ella noticed Elphaba's green skin turn a darker shade of green.

"Mama is fine." Glinda smiled to her daughter as she pulled back. "She just gets hot flashes sometimes." The blonde turned back towards her love and winked.

The action only caused the green woman to blush even more.

"Okay shall we begin?" The woman who had greeted the Upland family at the door began to speak.

Elphaba quickly agreed to starting and the next two hours were spent with fun filled baby shower games and the opening of presents.

By the time the shower was over Elphaba had received more diapers and onesies than she ever thought imaginable.

"Thank you all so much for these wonderful gifts." Glinda thanked the guests as she tried to gather up some of the discarded wrapping paper.

"Your welcome." The crowd of girls said all at once.

The green woman was still a little shocked at how much her and Glinda had received. Not long ago Elphaba was the most despised woman in all of Oz. And now…now she had friends that were throwing her a baby shower. It was a little overwhelming.

"Mama why does baby sister get new toys?" Ella pouted as she tugged on Elphaba's dress. "Do I get new toys?"

Elphaba looked down to her daughter and smiled.

"Your baby sister is getting new toys because she doesn't have any at all. You already have a lot of toys. Don't you want your sister to have some too?" Elphaba asked as she bounced Ella slightly on her knee.

"I'll give her my toys if I can get new ones." Ella grinned as Elphaba laughed.

"We'll have to talk to mommy about that." Elphaba replied as she looked up to see her love now by the door. That's when she noticed her love was talking to someone.

"Do you know who mommy's talking to?" Elphaba asked her daughter as she sat her down on the ground.

"No." Ella replied as Elphaba walked passed her and towards Glinda.

"Glinda." Elphaba called as she neared her love. Who was she talking to? All of their friends were right here except for Tahj. And Tahj wouldn't come down here because he knew it would be all girls.

"Glinda." Elphaba called again as she got closer. She could see Glinda laughing at something the shadowed figure had said.

"Glinda!" Elphaba called a little more frantically as she reached her fiancée.

"Hello Iris." The stranger called as they saw Elphaba now standing beside her love. "Congratulations on the baby."

Elphaba looked up in shock as she saw Alice standing in the doorway. She was the cause of Glinda's laughter.

"Well don't act as if you've just seen a ghost sweetheart. Alice just came by to say congratulations." Glinda smiled and she steadied herself against the doorframe.

"I'm sure she did." Elphaba replied sarcastically as she stared at Alice. Why was Alice here? She knew that Elphaba hated her so why show up?

"I really am happy for you both." Alice plastered on a fake smile as she stared at Elphaba. There was something victorious in that smile. As if Alice was somehow taunting her.

"As you should be." Elphaba shot back with a little more force this time. She didn't like how Glinda had been laughing at a joke Alice had told.

"Sweetheart calm down." Glinda placed an arm on Elphaba to settle the upset girl. She could tell her emotions were flaring.

"I'll calm down with this harlot leaves the room." Elphaba motioned to the woman standing in front of her. She narrowed her eyes as hate took over. There was no one she despised more than this woman. Well at least no one that was still alive.

"Harlot?" Alice mocked and then laughed. "I would watch what you accuse others of." Alice narrowed her eyes as well.

"Is that some kind of threat?" Elphaba stepped closer to Alice so she was now towering over the petite woman.

"Iris please!" Glinda tried to get Elphaba to calm down. She could see this wasn't going to end well.

"Do you take it as such?" Alice stepped forward and stood on her tiptoes.

"Guys come on! Not here!" Glinda pleaded with the two women in front of her who looked as if they were about to rip each other to shreds.

"Stay out of this Glinda." Elphaba stepped further into the hall towards Alice. Alice had to back up as Elphaba's weight pushed her.

"What? Now you're ordering her around?" Alice stared at the green woman. "As if she weren't already under your spell enough!"

"What me and Glinda do is none of your concern. You should go now before I do something that I won't regret, but I'm sure you will." Elphaba brought her good arm up and pushed Alice's shoulder so she stumbled backwards.

Glinda was staring on too afraid to get involved. She knew how Elphaba got when she was angry.

"As if you could do anything to me!" Alice teased as she stepped back towards Elphaba. "Fatty."

That was all it took for Elphaba to lose it. She had already been having concerns about her weight and now the woman she hated most in the world was using that to her advantage.

"What did you say?" The green woman took a fighting stance. Her words were enough to burn anyone's ears that listened to the hatred in them.

"I said that you are a fat ass!" Alice shouted a little too loudly.

"I'm pregnant you fucking whore!" Elphaba shouted as she reached out a leg to kick Alice off her feet.

It worked. Alice stumbled backwards and fell straight on her ass.

"What's your excuse?" Elphaba smiled triumphantly as she towered over the fallen woman.

It didn't take that much time before Alice was back on her feet however. She looked even more possessed than before.

"Well at least I know how to pleasure Glinda in a way that you can't even begin to imagine you fucking cripple!" Alice shot back as she reached out a hand to slap Elphaba's face.

The green woman's face flew to the side as the force of Alice's weight was behind the slap. Her face was stinging as she turned back around.

"Glinda would never sleep with someone as used and tarnished as you!" Elphaba stepped closer to Alice.

"Used and tarnished? Ha! She didn't sleep with me because _I _stopped it. Face it Iris, your fiancée over there is a trollop!" Alice didn't care anymore if she hurt Glinda's feelings. She knew she had done that long ago.

Elphaba was furious. How could this woman stand before her and call her Glinda a whore? Glinda was anything but a whore.

"Don't you dare call Glinda a trollop!" Elphaba shouted before reaching up with her left fist and hitting Alice in the nose.

Alice stumbled backwards as blood poured from her nose. It was surely broken by now.

Glinda was standing speechless in the doorway. She was afraid to say anything but at the same time she didn't want to. Seeing Elphaba defend her honor was…well kind of hot. In actuality Glinda didn't want to stop the catfight because she was becoming more and more turned on as the seconds passed.

"You fucking bitch you broke my nose!" Alice screamed as she clutched onto her bleeding nose.

"Your lucky that's the only thing I broke!" Elphaba shouted as she advanced towards Alice some more.

"Oh as if you could do more prego!" Alice teased as she tried to regain her bearings. She wasn't willing to give up that easily.

"I may be pregnant but I can still kick your ass all the way to Munckinland!" Elphaba moved closer to Alice.

"As if your psycho glitter bitch girlfriend would let you! She has you on a leash!" Alice shot back. For some reason she wanted Elphaba to become furious, even more so than she was now.

"Don't talk about Glinda like that!" Elphaba shouted before reached her first up once again to strike.

This time Alice was too quick for her. She grabbed hold of the green wrist and twisted it as Elphaba gasped in pain.

"I'll talk about your slut of a girlfriend however I want!" Alice smirked as she gained the upper hand.

The green woman gathered all her strength and twisted her arm back so Alice flew off and into the nearby wall.

"I think you are confused. The only slut I see here is you!" Elphaba strode over to Alice and pinned her to the wall.

"If I were a slut then I would have fucked your deprived girlfriend! She was begging me to fuck her!" Alice replied and she felt Elphaba's grip tighten.

"You lie!" Elphaba shot back. She knew than Glinda had almost slept with Alice, but Glinda would never beg. Never.

"I don't! That cunt was asking for it! She wanted me inside of her in a way you never can be again!" Alice screamed as she tried to wiggle her way out from under Elphaba's grasp.

"You are one conniving little bitch, ya know that?" Elphaba pressed her hand against Alice's neck and began to squeeze.

"Ca…can't….bre…breath." Alice brought her hands up to grasp around Elphaba's grip on her neck.

The green woman ignored her and picked her up off the ground.

"I don't care if you can't fucking breath. No one insults my fiancée like that!" Elphaba shouted as she continued to tighten her grip around Alice's throat.

"Let her go!" Glinda finally came to her senses and stumbled over to the two. She couldn't let Elphaba kill Alice.

"No!" Elphaba shouted back and she slammed Alice's thrashing head into the wall.

"Listen to me! This isn't going to get you anywhere!" Glinda pleaded with her girlfriend to let Alice go.

The green woman's breathing was labored as she strained to keep Alice's weight up with her left hand. She was loosing her grip. Soon Alice slipped from her hand and tumbled onto the floor coughing.

"Don't you ever come near Glinda again! EVER!" Elphaba yelled as she turned her back towards the woman and began walking away.

"Wow. If you're that violent in the bedroom too no wonder Glinda can't leave you." Alice wasn't letting up. Now that she had gained her breath she stood up. She wasn't going to leave without at least getting a punch in, even if Elphaba was pregnant.

"Alice don't!" Glinda warned Alice not to provoke Elphaba any further. It was too late. Elphaba turned around and started heading back towards Alice.

"Just because you are jealous of me and Glinda gives you no right to create such lies!" Elphaba clenched her fist. She was trying not to hit Alice again but it was difficult.

"Jealous?" Alice snorted. "Of what? Glinda's far from perfect! That little scar on her inner right thigh is proof of that!" Alice teased knowing this would provoke Elphaba even more.

Steam blew from Elphaba's ears. She should be the only one to know about that scar in such a private place. Alice shouldn't know about it.

"Oh was I not supposed to know about that scar? Oops." Alice smirked at the expression on Elphaba's face.

"It's only a matter of time before Glinda leaves you! She can't stay with one person for too long. She gets bored with them. She'll toss you aside like she did with her last husband!" Alice taunted.

Elphaba's eyes widened with horror. What if Alice was beginning to speak some truth? What if Glinda would grow bored with her and leave her? Glinda did tend to get a new boyfriend every few years or so. Who was to say Elphaba wasn't just one of those random guys, or in this case a random girl?

"Oh it seems I have hit a little too close to home." Alice goaded at the expression on Elphaba's face.

"I would never leave you!" Glinda interjected as she saw her girlfriend's face widen in shock. She knew that what Alice had just said had gotten to her.

"Oh but you will!" Alice cheered as she watched Elphaba for a minute.

"Sweetie you know I could never leave you! I love you!" Glinda yelled as she made her way towards Elphaba. She was careful not to walk too fast or else she might fall.

"It's only a matter of time. Tick-tock. Tick-tock." Alice continued to singsong as Glinda made her way to her horrified girlfriend.

"Oh Alice shut the fuck up!" Glinda reeled around and now faced the annoying woman she once considered a friend.

"Oh someone's gaining some balls! It would make sense seeing as how you did knock up that bitch you call a fiancée." Alice chuckled. She was too busy to notice Glinda change directions and head for her.

"I said shut the fuck up!" Glinda yelled before reaching up an arm and punching Alice in the face.

"You bitch!" Alice screamed as she brought her hand up to her face.

"You're going to pay for that!" Alice shouted before reaching her own arm up and punching the blonde where she had just been punched.

Glinda stumbled backwards and fell to the ground. Her left cheek was cut from a ring Alice had been wearing.

"Uh guys." A meager voice filled the air.

Glinda and Alice were too wrapped up in their own fight to hear it.

Glinda winced as she stood up. It took all her strength not to fall back down.

"Don't you dare punch me!" Glinda yelled as she limped towards Alice. She had apparently twisted her ankle during the fall.

"I'll punch whoever the hell I want! And if that includes whores like you then so be it!" Alice began to walk towards Glinda as well.

"Uh guys!" The voice from before was a little more panicked. It seemed as if it were coming from Elphaba's direction.

Glinda again ignored it as she reached Alice.

"No one messes with my girlfriend!" Glinda shouted before bringing her leg up to knee Alice in the groin. Too bad she wasn't a guy or else she would have been down in one second.

While Alice grabbed at her crotch, Glinda took the opportunity to bring her fist up and once again punch Alice. This time she hit her square in the jaw. The brunette fell to the ground as the new punch had knocked her out cold.

The blonde smiled triumphantly at having knocked out her opponent.

"Glinda!" The voice was distinct this time. It definitely belonged to Elphaba.

"What!" Glinda shouted with a little too much force as she turned around to her girlfriend.

Elphaba was standing there shaking, a look of pure horror on her face.

"I think my water just broke."


	54. Chapter 53

**A/N: This chapter can get a little graphic in parts…so try not to visualize, haha. Also….and please don't kill me….I might be ending this story soon. I have college to get back to and so I know I won't be able to update regularly. So the story is coming to an end but there is a possibility of a sequel…**

* * *

**Chapter 53**

Glinda stood still for a couple of seconds trying to calm down. She needed to comprehend what her fiancée had just told her.

"Your what?" The blonde asked to make sure she hadn't been hearing things. She had a throbbing headache as a result of the punch to her face.

"My water just broke!" The green woman panicked as she stared down at a tiny puddle of water on the ground.

"That cant be! You're only at eight months!" Glinda refused to believe that Elphaba's water had broken. The baby can't come yet. It was too early.

"I know that!" Elphaba yelled as her body shook. This was too much for her to handle all at once. First Alice and now this.

Glinda limped her way over to the raven-haired beauty, stumbling only once.

"We need to get you to the hospital wing!" Glinda yelled as she took a hold of the panicking green woman's wrist. The blonde was still too much in shock to be excited about the baby's birth. She figured they still had a month left to get everything situated. She wasn't ready.

Elphaba stared wide-eyed at her love before clutching onto her own stomach and bending forward.

"It hurts." The green woman gasped as she tried to gain her breath. The pain was so sudden and unexpected.

"Elphie listen to me, we need to get you to the doctor! You can't have the baby out here!" Glinda pleaded with her love to listen to her. She didn't have enough in her to be the strong one through this.

"It hurts so much." Elphaba clenched her teeth as another contraction hit. She had apparently been too involved with the fight to notice her pain before.

"I know it does sweetheart but we have to go!" Glinda tried to soothe her love. She could see that Elphaba was in pain.

"I…I don't think I can walk." The green woman began sweating. The pain she was experiencing was nothing like she had felt before.

"Stay here!" Glinda looked around the corridor and over to the door where she knew some party guests still lingered. She just had to get to that door.

"Don't leave me!" Elphaba clutched tightly onto Glinda's arm as the blonde tried to leave.

Glinda stared back at her love and saw fear within her eyes.

"I need to get help!" Glinda pleaded with her love to understand.

Elphaba stared into those blue eyes before releasing her grip. Glinda was going to get help. That was all. Glinda wasn't going to leave her.

"I'll be right back." Glinda placed a soft kiss on the green woman's cheek before limping her way over to the door. Walking was increasingly difficult, but it was a requirement. She needed to get Elphie some proper medical care.

As Glinda approached the door she peered in to see a couple of guests laughing over something Ella had said.

"Her water just broke!" Glinda yelled once she was in earshot. The women all turned towards the door and looked at Glinda.

"Dear Oz what happened to you!" One of the women got up and hurried over to Glinda. The blonde looked as if she had been in a bar fight.

"Not now! Iris's water broke! We need to get her to the hospital wing." Glinda brushed off her friend's concern. They needed to help Elphaba.

"Where is she?" One of the other women came up in front of Glinda.

"Out here. Hurry!" Glinda turned around so that the women could follow her. During their little catfight earlier, the three had migrated to the other side of the corridor.

By the time Glinda and the two women arrived back at the spot were Elphaba had been she was sitting on the floor trying to breath properly.

"I'm right here my love." Glinda bent down next to Elphaba despite her bad legs. She knew she was going to pay for this later.

"It hurts Glinda. It hurts so much." Elphaba whimpered as she saw her love kneel next to her.

"I know sweetheart. We just have to get you to the hospital wing and they can give you something for that." Glinda reached up a hand to brush Elphaba's tears from her eyes.

"You get the left side and I'll get the right!" One of the women called as they took their position and helped pull Elphaba up.

The green woman groaned as her weight was once again shifted. The baby's weight was now pressing downwards again.

"Come on Iris, you can do this." One of the women encouraged as they took the first step in the direction of the hospital wing. "Take a hold of my sleeve Glinda." The woman motioned for Glinda to hold on to her.

The group of four slowly made their way to the hospital wing. It took three times as long as it would have normally taken had Elphaba not been pregnant. They had to make a couple stops along the way so the green woman could rest.

"We're almost there." Glinda encouraged her fiancée to keep walking. "Just a couple of hours and our little girl will be with us." The blonde tried to smile to lighten Elphaba's mood.

"Hours?!" Elphaba shrieked as she fought back a wave of nausea.

Glinda immediately regretting saying the word hours. She knew that Elphaba was having a hard enough time as it was.

"Sweetie just a couple more steps." Glinda chose to ignore Elphaba's outburst. She remembered what labor was like and how it hurt like hell.

"It's too far." Elphaba began to whine but before the four of them knew it they had arrived at their destination.

"Doctor!" One of the women sat Elphaba down in a chair and went to find the doctor.

"What is it?" The doctor peeped his head out of the nurse's station. He was wondering what all the ruckus was about.

"Iris has gone into labor! Her water broke." The woman grabbed a hold of the doctor and dragged him over towards the three women.

"Let's get her onto a bed." The doctor ordered as they lifted Elphaba once again and entered one of the rooms. They carefully shifted her weight until she was on the bed.

"Take my hand sweetheart. It's going to be okay." Glinda offered her hand to her distressed love once she was lying down.

Elphaba wasted no time as she grasped onto Glinda's hand, squeezing it a little harder than was comfortable.

"When did your water break?" The doctor asked as he pulled up a chair in front of Elphaba.

"About fifteen minutes ago." Glinda replied, seeing as how Elphaba was straining to breath properly. There was no way she could form a response.

The doctor lifted up Elphaba's dress to examine the situation.

"It seems as if it is too late to give you the epidural." The doctor replied as he continued to check things out.

"What!" Elphaba responded furiously. No epidural? She could barely tolerate the pain as it was.

"It seems that you are too far along for the shot. If we gave it to you now you'd have the baby before it started kicking in. You look to be eight centimeters." The doctor replied.

"Eight!?" Glinda and Elphaba chorused. How could she have been so pregnant and in labor without knowing? Was that the cause of Elphaba's extreme bitchiness earlier?

"Yes eight." The doctor confirmed. "We need to wait until you are at ten before pushing."

Elphaba whimpered. She couldn't wait until she was two more centimeters dilated. The pain was increasing and so she clutched tighter onto Glinda's hand.

The blonde winced but didn't let go. Elphaba needed her and she wasn't going to leave her side.

The two women who had helped Elphaba to the hospital wing could tell they were no longer needed. They would just have to wait it out like the rest of them.

"We're going to go back to the party and tell everyone what's going on. Do you need us to do anything else Glinda?" One of the women asked.

"Can you take Ella to Tahj and have them both come up here. I know that Ella will be upset if she's not here when the baby comes." Glinda smiled at her friend as her fiancée squirmed next to her.

"Certainly." The woman smiled before looking at Iris. "Good luck." And with that the two women were gone.

**XXX**

Twenty minutes, a couple of screams, and a gallon of sweat later, Elphaba was finally ready to start pushing.

"Okay Iris you need to start pushing when I tell you. The baby seems to be in the correct position." The doctor informed as he motioned for the nurses to get ready.

"I…I can't. It hu…hurts so much." The green woman screamed as another volt of pain shot through her body.

Glinda was sitting next to her coaching her the whole time.

"Sweetheart you need to push. Don't you want to see our little girl?" The blonde smiled encouragingly as she wiped some sweat from her love's forehead.

"You push the damn thing out then!" Elphaba yelled. She was in so much pain she didn't care who she yelled at.

"I'm not the one pregnant." Glinda stated. She ignored the hateful tone in Elphaba's voice because she knew that her love was in too much pain.

"Okay Iris I need you to start pushing." The doctor stated as he put his hands in position.

"I've got you sweetheart. Just hold onto my hand and we'll get through this." Glinda stated as she tightened her grip around her love's sweaty hand.

"Okay on the count of three. One. Two. Three." The doctor counted down. When he reached three the green woman let out a scream as she tried to do as directed.

"Okay that was good! We just need a couple more pushes from you and your baby girl will be here." The doctor encouraged as he made sure the baby was still in the correct position for delivery.

"You did good." Glinda smiled as she placed a kiss on Elphaba's forehead. "Our daughter is almost with us."

"But it hurts so much." Elphaba whimpered as the pain increased.

"I know it does sweetheart. I know." Glinda had tears in her eyes as she saw the pain Elphaba was enduring.

"Okay we need you to start pushing again." The doctor stated as another contraction began.

The green woman grunted as she tried pushing once again. The blonde's hand had gone bone white at the grip Elphaba had exerted on it.

"Good! I can see the baby's head!" The doctor cheered. "We need you to continue pushing now. No breaks."

The green woman let tears roll down her cheeks as the pain struck once again.

"She's almost here!" Glinda became excited at the announcement that the doctor could see the baby's head.

"Okay Iris I need you to push." The doctor stated again.

"I can't. It hurts to much." The green woman cried, unable to stand the pain much longer.

"You have to push. The pain will go away after you push." The doctor said. He knew that if Elphaba didn't pick up her pushing soon the baby would go into distress.

"I can't." Elphaba whimpered again before screaming in pain.

"Iris you need to push!" The doctor replied harshly. Now was not the time to change her mind.

"It hurts." Tears streaked down the green woman's cheek.

Glinda leaned over and whispered into Elphaba's ear so the doctor couldn't hear.

"Elphie you need to push. I'm so proud of how far you've come. Don't let me down. Please Elphie, push for me." Glinda whispered before placing a soft kiss on her love's cheek.

The green woman heard Glinda ask her to push for her and could not let her down. With one last deep breath the green woman pushed.

"She's out!" The doctor exclaimed as he took the baby from Elphaba. He needed to clean out her breathing passages.

"Why isn't she crying?" Glinda panicked as she looked at her silent baby. Newborns were supposed to cry. That's just what they did.

The doctor didn't answer. He passed the baby onto a nurse who took her to the other side of the room.

"Where is she going?" Glinda's fear kicked in as her daughter was moved to the other side of the room. "What's wrong!"

Elphaba was still laying on the bed crying in pain. She hadn't even noticed that she had given birth.

The doctor noticed Elphaba's facial expression and knew this wasn't normal. His first priority right now was to see why Elphaba was still in so much pain.

"What's going on!?" Glinda demanded to know as the doctor went back to looking over Elphaba. She was panicking. Why wasn't their daughter crying and why was Elphaba still in so much pain?

The doctor ignored the blonde as he took a look at Elphaba. His eyes went wide at his discovery.

"WHAT'S GOING ON!!" Glinda yelled when everyone continued to ignore her. She was not going to be ignored.

"You need to push again Iris." The doctor stated as he took his position once again.

"What!?" Elphaba finally spoke up. She had already pushed. Why was she needing to push again? The green woman's shock mirrored that of Glinda's.

"It seems you are having more than one child." The doctor stated. How could he have missed this?

"What!?" Elphaba and Glinda chorused. How could this be? All the tests showed only one child. They weren't ready for two.

The two women stared at each other in shock before a cry broke through their thoughts. Their daughter was crying.

"Okay I need you to push!" The doctor yelled, trying to grab the woman's attention once again.

Glinda stared over at her now crying daughter as tears of happiness streamed down her face. Their daughter was going to be all right. Now they just needed to have Elphaba push again.

"You can do it sweetheart. I believe in you." Glinda smiled as she reached a hand out to brush Elphaba's cheek. "You have already given us one beautiful daughter."

The green woman continued to cry as she pushed once again.

"I can see the baby's head!" The doctor yelled. "I need you to push again."

A feeling of déjà vu took hold as the green woman tried to push once again.

The next sound to fill the air was the sound of crying.

"She's out!" The doctor yelled as he cleaned up their other daughter.

Glinda smiled brightly as she saw her second daughter being born.

The doctor then handed the child over to a nurse to check on Elphaba once again to make sure she didn't have any more surprises. When he was satisfied that she didn't he called for the nurses to bring the twins over.

"Congratulations Miss Glinda and Iris. You are now the proud parents of two healthy baby girls." The doctor smiled as the nurses handed over a child to each of the two women.

Elphaba and Glinda both looked at each other as the nurses handed over their children. They had more love and devotion in their eyes than had ever existed before.

"We did it." Glinda smiled as she held her daughter in her arms.

"That we did." Elphaba confirmed as she looked at her other daughter within her arms.

"They're beautiful." Glinda smiled as she looked over to her other daughter in Elphaba's arms.

"They are." Elphaba mirrored Glinda's smile as she stared at her other daughter in Glinda's arms.

The two women continued to stare at their children for a little while before the babies both drifted off into sleep.

"We're going to have our hands full." Glinda chuckled as she looked towards Elphaba.

Elphaba smiled in return. Her smile quickly changed into concern as a thought struck her.

"What is it my love?" Glinda asked as she saw her love's face change.

"We haven't picked out a name! Or in this case two!" Elphaba stated as she looked down at her two children.

"You're right!" Glinda's face went to one of shock as she remembered this key fact too. The two still didn't have a name for their daughter, or daughter's really.

"Any ideas?" Elphaba chuckled as she continued to stare down at her sleeping child. She was so perfect.

"None whatsoever." Glinda laughed as she shifted the baby in her arms over to Elphaba. She knew that her fiancée should be holding both children when they were named. One might feel left out later.

"Glinda I can't take her with my arm." Elphaba frowned as she noticed Glinda trying to shift her daughter over to her other arm.

"Yes you can." Glinda smiled as she placed the child on top of the sling. "I don't think she's going anywhere soon." The blonde giggled.

Elphaba smiled down at her two daughters sleeping peacefully within her arms.

"I'm going to go get Ella and Tahj for you two. Is there anything else you need?" The doctor finally got up from his seat. He could tell the four needed a family moment.

"Don't tell Ella that she has two sisters." Glinda giggled. "I want her to be surprised."

"Will do. Congratulations again." The doctor nodded his head before exiting the room.

"You did marvelous my love." Glinda smiled as she reached over to place a kiss on the green woman's lips.

"I felt like I was going to die." Elphaba chuckled as she looked over to her love's shimmering blue eyes.

"Well thank Oz that you didn't." Glinda smiled as she looked towards their daughters. "We need to name them though. I refuse to call them Baby A and Baby B." Glinda chuckled.

"There is a name that I like…" Elphaba trailed off as she stared at her daughter on top of her sling.

"And what would that be?" Glinda asked curiously.

"Rowena." Elphaba smiled as she said the name. Her daughter that she was staring at atop her sling began to squirm a little bit.

"It seems she likes that name." Glinda chuckled as she stared at her daughter. "And I think that is a beautiful name. Do you know what it means?"

"Fair haired." Elphaba smiled as she continued to stare at her daughter in the right arm.

"It seems fitting. She does have blonde hair." Glinda smiled.

"That she does. Just like her daddy." Elphaba smiled as she looked up towards Glinda.

"Then she will be named Rowena." The blonde smiled as she looked down to her daughter now named Rowena.

"Welcome to the world Ro." Elphaba smiled as she stared at her daughter.

"Now we need one more name!" Glinda looked to her other daughter before smiling. "I think I have a name."

"And what would that be?" The green woman asked as she stared at her other daughter.

"Kiora." Glinda smiled as she stared at her other daughter.

"That's a beautiful name." Elphaba smiled at her love. "What does it mean?"

"Little and dark." Glinda stated before looking at her daughter who had raven hair just like her mother.

"It's perfect." Elphaba smiled before looking up to the sound of the door opening.

"Is baby sister here!" Ella screamed as she ran into the room followed closely by Tahj.

"Baby sister is here and she brought a friend." Glinda chuckled at her daughter's excitement.

Ella seemed confused for a couple of seconds before looking over to see two babies in her mama's arms. Her face lit up all the more. Now she had two sisters to play with once they were old enough.

"Wow you two really don't mess around in the bedroom." Tahj chuckled as he saw the twin girls in Elphaba's hands.

"Not in front of the children!" Glinda smacked Tahj' arm playfully but couldn't contain her smile. Everything was perfect.

"Do you want to meet your new sisters?" Elphaba asked as Ella went over to the bed.

"Yes!" Ella smiled before hopping up onto the bed with Elphaba. She was careful not to disturb the area where her sling was.

"This little girl in my right arm is Rowena." Elphaba smiled before switching her gaze to her left arm. "And this little girl in my left arm is Kiora."

"Rowena, Kiora, meet your big sister Ella." The green woman smiled as she introduced the twins to her other daughter.

Ella's eyes lit up as she was formally introduced to her sisters.

While Elphaba and Ella were busy looking over the twins, Tahj took Glinda aside to talk to her.

"Glinda I don't mean to burst your bubble or anything…" Tahj began to say before Glinda cut him off.

"But they are green yes I know." Glinda chuckled at her friends concern. Rowena and Kiora were in fact green. Not the same green of their mother though. This was sort of like a honeydew melon sort of green. A mixture of both Elphaba and Glinda.

"But how did the doctor's and nurses not say anything!" Tahj was wondering how this little fact had gotten past their radar.

"I wasn't panicked enough not to form a temporary glamour spell. The doctors only saw the girls as the same color as me when they came out." Glinda stated as she stared back at the women in her life that she loved. Elphaba was watching over Ella carefully as the three-year-old held Rowena within her arms. The two girls were identical. The only thing that allowed them to distinguish who was who was their hair color. Rowena's was blonde like Glinda's, and Kiora's was dark like her mother's. It was still too early to determine their eye color.

"Oh thank Oz." Tahj let out a sigh of relief at hearing this. He couldn't have the doctors and nurses thinking that Elphaba had given birth to the next Wicked Witch of the West.

"Don't thank me too soon. I might not cast a permanent glamour. I don't want the twins to grow up having to hide who they are." Glinda smiled over at her family.

"But what will people say?" Tahj gasped at this news. No one besides the Wicked Witch had ever had green skin.

"Whatever they want to say. But I am not going to allow that to effect my family. If I have to I'll blame it on the dye that is in food. People are so shallow they will believe anything." Glinda stated as she turned back around to face her family. "Now if you don't mind I'd like to spend some time with my girls."

Tahj was left speechless as Glinda made her way back over towards her family. Oz was going to be in quite the uproar once they heard of Glinda's light green children.


	55. Chapter 54

**A/N: So this is kind of a random author's note but I was just going through some Idina Menzel info online and I found out that she has a cat named Ella. Just for clarification I in no way named Glinda's daughter after Idina's cat. If I did that would have been weird. Just thought I'd clarify that…with that said I give you chapter 54. The end will probably come in the next two chapters or so.**

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**Chapter 54**

A week passed since the birth of Rowena and Kiora and everything was going perfectly. Sure the twins kept Elphaba and Glinda up at all hours of the night, but it was a sacrifice the two were willing to make so they could take care of their girls. Ella was especially a help to her parents. She would often help in fetching items the two would require, such as diapers or baby powder.

The first week had been the hardest on Elphaba, much more so than Glinda, seeing as how she only had one hand to really take care of two newborns. The green woman was a quick study however and was getting the hang of the whole mothering thing. Of course Glinda would help out whenever she could, but she had Ella to take care of as well and work to catch up on.

As for the whole green baby situation, the two had still not addressed that issue. Glinda had talked to Elphaba the night of the twins birth and they both agreed that they wanted their children to grow up in a society that was accepting of their differences. Glinda had decided that the first thing she needed to do was call a meet and greet sort of outing where the citizens could meet the new Upland family. All five of them. Until then the temporary glamour would have to hold.

That meet and greet was scheduled for today.

Elphaba's nerves were strung as she looked through a drawer for an outfit to put Kiora in. She had spit up on her last three outfits and seeing as how the laundry was diminishing twice as fast, there was hardly anything to wear.

"I don't know how your other mother expects me to clothe you when you insist on ruining everything." Elphaba admonished her daughter as she pulled out a light yellow dress. "And I don't know why she thought yellow and green went together." The green woman added playfully as she struggled to put the new outfit on her raven-haired daughter.

"Are you talking bad about me again?" Glinda chuckled as she came into the twin's room.

"Never." Elphaba lied as she turned around to greet her love.

"Uh huh." Glinda knew Elphaba was lying by the look on her face. "Well don't listen to your mother. She is sleep deprived and crazy." Glinda stage whispered to her daughter Kiora. Rowena was asleep at the moment.

"I am only sleep deprived because some sex-crazed blonde had to knock me up." Elphaba added playfully as she handed Kiora over to Glinda.

"Not in front of the girls Elphie!" Glinda scolded her love as she took Kiora from her mother. Her face immediately changed once her daughter was in her hands.

"Oh like they can understand. Ro isn't even awake." Elphaba chuckled as she gathered up the dirtied outfit to put in their laundry pile. She had gotten in the habit of calling Rowena Ro. It seemed to fit her personality better. The two girls could not be any more different from each other than they already were. Rowena slept almost constantly whereas Kiora required a lot of attention and often made a mess of her clothes. Elphaba had said it was her way of telling Glinda that she didn't like them and she needed something darker to go with her dark hair. The blonde wasn't very amused.

"When is she ever awake?" Glinda chuckled as she stared at her daughter passed out in the crib. The only time Rowena would ever wake up was for a feeding or diaper change. She rarely ever interacted with her sister that much because they seemed to be on opposite schedules.

"True." The green woman smiled. "We need to ready the girls for the meet and greet. It's supposed to take place in an hour." Elphaba looked over to the clock on the wall. "Okay make that forty-five minutes." She changed her statement when she saw the clock read eleven fifteen."

"Kiora is dressed and ready. You might want to feed her and Rowena before we go to the event however. We'll have to wake her though." Glinda glanced at the crib and cringed at the idea of waking a newborn. That was definitely a no-no in the world of parenting.

"I'll feed Kiora first and then we'll wake Ro. I'll let her sleep for a little while longer." Elphaba didn't want to have to wake her daughter up until the last second necessary.

"Okay sounds good." Glinda agreed. "I told Ella's nanny to bring her here fifteen minutes before we are to leave. Is that okay?" The blonde walked over and helped Elphaba into the rocking chair in the corner. She had gotten a lot better at walking without holding on to things since her experience last week.

"Sounds perfect." Elphaba smiled as she reached up and grabbed her raven-haired daughter to feed her. The girls were still too young to coo or make any noise really. All they did was sleep, eat, and cry. And in Kiora's case spit up everywhere.

Glinda took a seat next to her love and watched as Elphaba began to feed their daughter. How she had been so lucky to have three amazing children and a soon to be wife she'd never know.

"So did you get much sleep last night?" Glinda asked as she tried not to stare too intently at Elphaba's exposed breast. Even while breast feeding the blonde still blushed at the sight.

"What do you think?" Elphaba chuckled as she stared down at Kiora. "This little tyke cannot stay asleep for more than an hour it seems."

"You need to be more like your sister." Elphaba added although she wouldn't change her daughter's personality for the world. She reminded her of what Glinda might have been like as a newborn: needy and curious about everything. Rowena was more like Elphaba: relaxed and chill.

"Speaking of which." Glinda chuckled as the blonde newborn began to cry softly. Rowena was awake. "I'll get her." Glinda smiled as she went to retrieve their other daughter.

"Hey there my precious girl." Glinda beamed as she picked up her crying daughter. "Did you want some of mommy's milk too?"

Rowena continued to cry not really knowing what to make of the situation. She was still tired and wanted to go back to sleep.

"Can you change her diaper while I finish up with Kiora?" Elphaba asked her fiancée.

The blonde agreed as she gently placed the fair-haired child against the changing table. A piece of furniture they hadn't had until three days ago when Tahj surprised them with it as a baby gift. Truth be told they hadn't bought a lot of stuff since the past four months before the birth had been hectic. Until two days ago the twins were sharing a crib.

"Vroom." Glinda made an airplane type noise as she laid Rowena down on the changing table.

"Is it a number one or two?" Elphaba asked as she pulled out a notebook that was stashed next to the rocking chair.

"One." Glinda replied as she discarded the soiled diaper. "Why do you want to know?"

"I'm keeping a log so that I might be able to see a pattern forming. Then it will make diaper changing easier. We will know if it will be a one or two based on the pattern." Elphaba replied as she scribbled away in her notebook.

Glinda chuckled as she clasped the pins on the new diaper. "You can't pinpoint diaper changing down to a science. It's not like that Elphie."

"Well I should at least be able to try. No child of mine if going to make a number two in their diaper five times in a row." The green woman huffed at Glinda's insistence that bathroom schedules weren't a precise science.

"Uh huh, and we'll just wait and see what you do when that happens. Because it will." Glinda smiled as she picked her daughter back up. Rowena was no longer crying, but she still needed to be fed.

"Will not." Elphaba stood he ground.

"Will too." Glinda singsonged as the two blonde's made their way over towards the green woman.

"Will not." Elphaba smiled as her lover approached her.

"Will too." Glinda argued as she leaned over and gave Elphaba a quick kiss on the lips. "Is that one almost done? This one's getting hungry."

"Well I do have two breasts for a reason." Elphaba chuckled as she moved her shirt a little farther over to expose the other breast.

"Oh jeez Elphaba have you ever heard of modesty?" Glinda chuckled as she placed Rowena in between Elphaba and her sling. The sling created a nice little hammock for the child.

"Me? Modest? Never!" Elphaba joked as she helped Rowena latch on.

"Oh what am I going to do with you." Glinda sighed dramatically as she sat next to her lover once again.

"Stare at my breasts apparently." The green woman grinned as she noticed Glinda staring at her exposed breasts. "Really Glinda if you wanted to see them that bad then I could have just given you a private screening later."

"Oh stop it you mean green thing." Glinda blushed as she removed her eyes from Elphaba's chest area.

"Which mean green thing? There's three of us now." Elphaba continued to smile as she stared at the blonde.

"The leader of the green peas of course." Glinda turned her attention back towards her love.

"Green peas?" Elphaba raised an eyebrow at this new form of endearment.

"Yes, green peas. You are the pod and they are the peas." Glinda beamed at her sudden knowledge of peas and their parts.

"So are you calling me some sort of pod alien because I am green?" Elphaba teased her love. She was quite exhausted and needed this sort of teasing to keep her awake.

"Oh you hush. I was doing no such thing." Glinda leveled a glare at her girlfriend, which caused the green woman to chuckle.

"Of course you weren't." Elphaba smiled towards Glinda. She then felt Kiora stop her actions and knew it was time to burp her. "Can you take Kiora for a second. I don't really have the free hand to burp her myself."

"Certainly." Glinda smiled as she reached over to grab her raven-haired daughter.

"Be careful. That one is like a volcano. You might want a spit cloth or something." Elphaba tried to warn her love as she covered up the breast that was no longer in use.

"That's only for you. She love's me though." Glinda stuck out her tongue and teased her love. "She only spits up on people she doesn't like."

Twenty seconds passed before Kiora spit up.

"I guess that means she doesn't like you." Elphaba tried to stifle her laughter as Glinda wiped at the spit up that had cascaded down the side of her dress.

"Oh great. Now I have to change." Glinda huffed as she handed the child back over to Elphaba.

"I told you it's all those pink and yellow clothes you keep putting her in. She doesn't want those things." Elphaba chuckled as she reached out with her good hand to grab a hold of Kiora.

"Well I can't put her in dark clothes. People will think she's a boy!" Glinda scolded her girlfriend. "I have to change. I'll be back in five minutes. Will you be okay until then?"

"Can you send someone in while you're gone? I don't want to take any chances." Elphaba admitted. She was afraid to have both children out at once while she only had one mobile hand.

"As long as you cover up you flasher." Glinda chuckled.

"I am no such thing." Elphaba acted offended.

"Oh yeah I forgot. You are just a brazen hussy." The blonde stuck out her tongue before exiting with the sounds of laughter filling her ears.

"Hey Maureen can you go help Iris with the kids while I go change real quick?" Glinda asked the first female she ran into. Maureen was one of the maids.

"Certainly Miss." Maureen curtsied as she went into the twin's room.

Glinda continued on her path up to her room smiling the whole way.

**XXX**

"All changed." Glinda smiled as she made her way back into the twin's room wearing a new light pink dress.

"You look beautiful." Elphaba smiled as she saw her love enter the room once again. Maureen had been a big help, but the two had nothing to talk about really and so the conversation had gotten awkward. The green woman was relieved when Glinda came back.

"Why thank you!" Glinda cheered as she entered the room. "Thank you for all your help today Maureen."

"No problem. Anything for you Miss Glinda." Maureen nodded her head before exiting the room.

"She didn't get to see any of your goodies now did she?" Glinda asked sternly as she went over to take a crying Kiora from her mother. It was time for her diaper change now.

"If you are talking about my breasts then no she did not. I had them perfectly covered the whole time." The green woman rolled her eyes at such an accusation. "Ro's almost done eating and then we'll need to dress them both."

"I know that Kiora needs changing but why Rowena?" Glinda asked as she placed Kiora down on the changing table in the same fashion she had Rowena.

"Because we can't have one child wearing pink and the other wearing white or something. They should match at least." Elphaba replied. Her new taste in fashion and all things girly had not quite gone away. It had lessened of course, but not diminished completely.

"What ever was I thinking?" Glinda chuckled as she removed Kiora clothes. "We really need to invest in more clothes and diapers when we go out next. The girls are going through them at lightening speed.

"It's all your daughter's fault!" Elphaba chuckled. The two of them had a running joke that since Glinda had named Kiora she was her daughter and since Elphaba had named Rowena she was hers. The personalities seemed to fit the one they names as well. The only difference was the hair and that Rowena's skin tone seemed to be a little lighter than that of Kiora's.

"Oh as if your daughter doesn't have her fair share of messy diapers." Glinda played along as she rolled her eyes.

"My daughter is the perfect little child. It's yours that requires all the attention!" Elphaba laughed as well.

"It always has to be drama with you." Glinda sighed dramatically as she picked Kiora back up and walked over towards the wardrobe.

"Yes. I am the queen of drama." The green woman stated as she followed her love's path over to the wardrobe.

Rowena detached herself from her mother and whimpered a couple of times before Elphaba finally picked her up and leaned back with her resting on her body. She then brought her good hand up to begin patting her back. Rowena always was the quieter of the two. She would never full out cry as Kiora did. Rowena was more of a whiner. She had been the first born of the two.

Glinda ignored Elphaba's last comment and pulled two pink matching onesies out from the wardrobe.

"How about these Elphie?" Glinda asked as she held up the two outfits.

"They're a little too pink. Kiora will spit up on that it two seconds." Elphaba offered up her opinion as she continued to burp Rowena.

"Kiora will spit up on anything. Pink goes good with green. They are wearing them." Glinda stated as she placed Kiora down to change her.

"Ro's done eating. Do you want to change her or do you want me to?" Elphaba asked as she began buttoning her shirt back up.

"I'll do it. You need to do something with your hair." Glinda stated as she went over and placed Kiora back in her crib so she could go get Rowena. As soon as Kiora was in the crib she began to cry.

"I swear you can't be sat down for one second." Glinda huffed as she turned back around to pick the raven-haired child up.

"I can hold her while you change Rowena." Elphaba offered as she stood from the chair.

"Oh all right. But afterwards you need to do something about your hair. It looks like you have bed head." Glinda held out her hand to grab Rowena and at the same time thrust Kiora into Elphaba's.

"My hair doesn't look that bad." Elphaba was truly offended.

"Sweetheart it looks as if we just had sex for seventeen hours straight and you put hairspray in it to get in to stick like that." Glinda went over to place Rowena on the changing table.

"Seventeen hours?" Elphaba half snorted as she tried to suppress a chuckle. "You'd be so lucky as to have me for one."

"Oh don't tease me like that. You know we can't have sex for five more weeks." Glinda scolded her girlfriend for talk of sex. It was a rule that after giving birth you couldn't have sex for six weeks. Elphaba had offered to pleasure Glinda, but the blonde refused knowing that it wouldn't be the same without returning the pleasure to Elphaba. They would have to wait.

"You brought the subject up." Elphaba stated as she stared at the clock. "Ella should be here any minute."

"Exactly. Now go brush your hair." Glinda ignored the green woman's comment from before.

"Fine." Elphaba stated before walking out the door and down the hall. She carried Kiora in her good arm.

"I swear your mother is crazy." Glinda shook her head as a smile played on her face.

Rowena just looked up into Glinda's eyes before smiling slightly. Glinda knew that babies that young couldn't smile because their muscles weren't quite developed yet, but she could have sworn Rowena had smiled to her.

"She is very crazy." Glinda repeated as she tried to tickle Rowena's sides. She was careful not to touch too hard because Rowena was the more delicate of the two. She was almost a full pound lighter than Kiora. Where as Kiora weighed six pounds, Rowena barely weighed past five.

Two minutes passed before there was a tiny knock on the door.

"Come in." Glinda called from the rocking chair. She was trying to rock Rowena to sleep.

The door slowly opened to reveal Ella followed closely by Tahj.

"Mommy!" Ella smiled as she saw her mother holding one of her sisters. She couldn't tell which one it was until she got closer. "Where's mama and Kora?" Ella couldn't quite pronounce the key sound and so she called Kiora Kora.

"Mama and Kiora are in our room. She should be here any second though." Glinda smiled as she helped her daughter into her lap.

"Is Ro sleeping?" Ella tried to whisper as she saw that Rowena's eyes were closed.

"Yes your sister is sleeping. She just feel asleep too so we don't want to wake her. The longer she sleeps through the festival, the better." Glinda whispered back.

Tahj took a seat next to the rocker and stared at the little bundle of joy Glinda was holding. Rowena was so small and fragile compared to Kiora. Although Kiora was tiny herself, but next to Rowena she seemed giant.

"Did Elphaba sleep much last night?" Tahj asked as he brought his eyes up to meet Glinda's.

"A bit. Kiora's a handful though. Rowena is so peaceful and quiet compared to that child. Elphaba told me she had to stick her finger in front of Ro's nose to make sure she was still breathing." Glinda chuckled lightly as she recounted the story.

A couple of minutes passed before Elphaba returned with Kiora looking a lot more put together.

"Kora!" Ella squealed excitedly as she jumped down from her mother's lap. Kiora was still wide-awake snuggled in the crook of Elphaba's elbow.

"She didn't go to sleep. I thought the walking motion would help but it didn't." The green woman sighed as she saw Rowena sleeping peacefully in her other mother's embrace.

"That's all right. She probably wouldn't have slept through all the noise to come anyways." Glinda smiled as she stood up.

"Mama can I see Kora!" Ella looked up into Elphaba's eyes.

"Of course you can." Elphaba smiled as she bent down so that Kiora was eye level to Ella.

"Hi baby sister!" Ella waved frantically as Kiora looked in her direction.

"I'm sure she says hello as well." Elphaba chuckled at Ella's frantic movements.

"Can I hold her?" Ella stared back up at Elphaba.

"Not now. Maybe later tonight when we are sitting somewhere. Right now we have to go to the meet and greet." The green woman replied which caused Ella to frown. "But I'll tell you what you can do for me and mommy…"

"What?" Ella's face lit up again.

"Can you be a good big sister and carry the diaper bag? I'll even let you pick out two outfits to throw in there incase they need changing." Elphaba tried to cheer Ella up. She knew that Ella liked to feel included in all of the baby stuff.

"Yes!" Ella agreed and Glinda helped her over to the wardrobe.

"Are you sure you are ready to do this? It's not too late to keep the glamour on." Tahj pulled Elphaba aside once Glinda and Ella were distracted. "I'm not trying to sound mean or anything but you have to listen to reason. They're green! The last person to be green was well you. The people of Oz are going to make that connection right away and might think your children are wicked. I just want you to think this through thoroughly before making this big of a decision."

"We have thought this through and we don't want them to hide who they are. Trust me. I know how hard it is to be green and I can help them. I don't want them having to hear stories of the Wicked Witch and how she was green and for them to think they are wicked and that's the reason they have to hide. I want them to be who they are. Oz might not be ready to accept it, but I am not ready to throw away who I am. The unnamed God made them green for a reason. I don't think we should be shielding his creation from the world." Elphaba replied.

"The unnamed God made you. You are shielding yourself from the world. How is this any different?" Tahj was still concerned.

"I chose to for love. I want my girls to have the choice to choose their life. If in the future they find out that life is too hard for them to be green then we will reconsider their options. But until the time comes that either one of them asks me or Glinda to be pale skinned, they are going to remain green." Elphaba seemed a little offended by Tahj.

The guard sighed before agreeing. "I don't support this by any means but I will help you both out if any trouble arises."

"That's all we ask." Elphaba smiled knowing this was the best they were going to get out of their friend.

"Okay are we all ready?" Glinda came back over to the trio with Ella in tow and Rowena still sleeping peacefully leaned up against her shoulder.

"Ready." Elphaba smiled as she tried to forget about her conversation with Tahj.

"Ready." Tahj echoed as he opened the door for the five women.

"Well then lets go my precious peas and a pod." Glinda smiled as she linked her arm with Elphaba's bad arm. Her good arm was holding onto Kiora.

"Isn't it peas in a pod?" Tahj corrected Glinda not knowing the joke.

"Well it was peas in a pod but now the peas are out and so it's peas and a pod." Glinda giggled as the six of them made their way to the double doors of the palace entrance.

Along the way Glinda recounted the story that seemed to have left Tahj and Ella both confused.


	56. Chapter 55

**A/N: Yes this chapter is uber short…and it's kind of depressing…and the next chapter is the last chapter…wow I just keep slamming you guy's with all the bad…sorry…I'm going to go run away now before you start throwing rocks at me. Oh and I'd also like to throw a shout out to MLK…that dude wrote some wicked speeches, haha.**

**Chapter 55**

Glinda stepped out onto her front porch to the sounds of an anxious crowd gathering. There seemed to be around a hundred or more people gathering on the grounds of Upland Manor.

The green woman stayed a little far back with Kiora in her arms. Tahj was next to Elphaba holding Rowena. The two of them stayed in the security of the shadow that the doorframe offered them.

"Fellow Ozians," Glinda began her speech. "I would like to thank you all for coming out today to show your support for me and my family; a family that has just recently had two new additions as you may have heard. I believe that you all know my daughter Ella." The blonde looked towards the door as her three-year-old daughter walked over to her mother.

The crowd watched as Glinda's daughter went and stood by her side. A couple of them cheered at the appearance of Ella, Oz's next ruler in line.

"And a couple of you have met my wonderful fiancée Iris Tancredi." Glinda smiled as she looked at Elphaba's shadow in the doorway. The green woman wasn't stepping out yet because she still held Kiora in her arms.

The blonde wished she could say the name Elphaba Thropp out loud and for her to be accepted but she knew she never could. The green woman didn't seem to mind as much having to go by a false name.

"My fiancée has recently given birth to our two wonderful twins. Their names are Kiora Grace Upland and Rowena Annabelle Upland." The blonde waited as the crowd of a hundred or more people began to whisper amongst themselves.

"I would like to introduce you to my new family in just a couple of moments but first I have an important issue to address." The blonde hushed the crowd. She was growing more nervous as the seconds passed.

The green woman stood in the doorway growing anxious as well. What if the citizens of Oz could never accept their children like they had never accepted the Wicked Witch? What if all of this backfired and bit them in the ass?

"I have a confession to make." Glinda paused for more murmuring. She tried to block the noise out. "My twin girls do not appear as you or I do. They are different." Sweat poured from Glinda's forehead. She wished that Elphaba were here to whisper in her ear that everything was going to be all right.

The blonde took another glance towards the shadows before feeling a small hand slip into her own.

Ella had taken a hold of her mother's hand and was staring up at her encouraging her to continued. This was all the boost Glinda needed to continue.

"I am going to introduce you to my daughter's but please do not take their appearance to mean they are wicked." Glinda announced before motioned for Elphaba and Tahj to walk out.

There were more whispers about what Glinda could be talking about as she said the word wicked. Did her children have a deformity?

All whispers were cut short as Elphaba and Tahj walked onstage, each with a baby in their arms.

The citizens stared wide-eyed as Glinda removed the glamour to reveal their true skin color as light green. It wasn't the same color as the Wicked Witch's had been, but a lighter tint. It was the color of ripe honeydew melon.

A couple of the citizens fainted at the sight as others began yelling obscenities.

"WITCH!" One of the citizens yelled as he pointed at the twins.

"THE WICKED WITCH HAS SPAWNED A SATAN CHILD THROUGH GLINDA!" Another one of the people yelled, not knowing that Iris really was the Wicked Witch.

The blonde watched in horror as her fellow citizens began throwing hateful comments at her two innocent children; children that had never done anything wrong except being born the wrong color.

Elphaba glanced over at Glinda as a single teardrop fell from the green woman's eye. She knew what it was like to be called wicked and evil all because of her skin tone. She couldn't stand for her children being called the same. They hadn't done anything in Oz to prove themselves wicked. At least before when Elphaba was considered wicked it was because of a misunderstanding. This was no mere misunderstanding. This was hate.

"Fellow Ozians please calm down!" Glinda tried to get the citizens to quiet.

It was too late they were already in quite the uproar.

"KILL THE WICKED CHILDREN!" One of the citizens closest to the deck where Glinda and Elphaba stood yelled.

"You are not going to kill my daughters!" Glinda yelled as she took a protective stance in front of Ella and Elphaba.

"THEY'RE EVIL! JUST LIKE THE WICKED WITCH!" The same man from before yelled as he tried to rally the people up around him. "GREEN IS THE COLOR OF EVIL!"

"My children are not evil! They are beautiful, innocent babies that have done no wrong!" Glinda tried to plead with the citizens to understand.

In all of this commotion Kiora had begun to cry as well as Rowena who was now awake.

"KILL THEM!" Another citizen yelled as they pulled out a dagger that was hidden in their waistband.

Tahj immediately handed the screaming Rowena over to Glinda so that he could protect the five women.

"KILL THEM!" Another man cheered as he pulled a gun from behind his back.

Glinda and Elphaba's eyes went wide as they saw this man with a gun pointing it at the children that the two of them held within their arms. Elphaba protectively moved Glinda behind her before thrusting Kiora in her love's arm. She blocked her children from the gun.

Before they knew it a shot echoed throughout the air as a couple of people covered their ears from the loud noise.

Tahj jumped into the crowd and on top of the man who had just shot at the five women that he loved. He struggled to get the gun away from him as the man tried to shoot again. He was aiming the gun directly at Tahj's chest when screams erupted throughout the air.

Tahj took this distraction to wrestle the gun away and knock the man out with the blunt end of it.

He then turned back around to see what everyone was now screaming over. His voice caught in his throat as he saw a green figure on stage lying lifeless with a blonde crouched over her.

"Elphaba." Tahj whispered as he shot up to run towards the stage where Glinda was.

As he reached the stage he could see the woman he knew as Elphaba lying on the ground immobile. He wouldn't have been able to recognize her had Glinda not been shaking her lifeless body with so much force. Elphaba was green.

"ELPHIE!" Glinda sobbed as she shook her fiancée's limp body. Kiora and Rowena were lying on the ground next to the two. Ella watched fearfully as her mother shook her mama to wake up. Why wasn't Elphie waking up?

"Glinda!" Tahj shouted to his blonde friend as he kneeled down in front of the green woman.

"S..she wa..was…shot." The blonde cried as she tried to get Elphaba to wake up. She wouldn't wake.

Tahj looked around the green woman's body trying to see where the bullet had landed. That's when he saw a small quantity of blood seeping from her chest. It was a direct hit to the heart.

"Glinda." Tahj bit his bottom lip as he tried to pull the blonde away from her love. There was no way Elphaba could have survived a direct hit to the chest, even if she seemed to survive everything else that had been thrown at her.

Glinda continued to produce heart-wrenching sobs as she tried to get her love to wake up.

The crowd stared at the scene unfolding before them. The woman they thought was Iris was now the same color of the Wicked Witch of the West. Why was Glinda the Good crying over the green woman's body?

"Wake up baby, please wake up." The blonde cried as she hugged Elphaba's lifeless body against her own. She cried into the green woman's shoulder as Tahj tried to pry her body from her love's.

"Glinda it's too late." The head guard let a couple of stray tears fall as he made to grab onto Glinda. "She's gone."

"It's not too late! She's just pretending!" Glinda yelled. She wasn't willing to believe that Elphaba was gone. Elphaba wouldn't just leave her to deal with three children on her own. She had made a promise to Glinda that she had to keep.

Ella walked over and picked up her two baby sister's carefully. She didn't understand what was happening but she knew that Rowena and Kiora needed to be taken care of.

The crowd's rioting over the two green children had dissipated the moment Elphaba had fallen. They now stared speechless at the woman they knew as the Wicked Witch.

"Glinda she's gone." Tahj stated again. There was no way Elphaba could be alive. She had returned to her natural green state, which meant only one thing. The glamour spell had been lifted as her life ended.

"She's not!" Glinda continued to yell as she rocked Elphaba's body back and forth. "She promised me!" The blonde continued to bawl as she felt Tahj use all of his strength to pull the tiny frame away from the green woman. He was successful this time.

"Let go of me!" Glinda kicked her feet as she felt Tahj wrap his arms around her. "Elphie!" Glinda cried as she noticed her love's body fall to the ground once again. Without the support of Glinda there was nothing to keep her up.

"Glinda she's gone." Tahj tried to calm to frantic woman. Elphaba was dead and there was no getting her back.

Ella looked over to her mother scrambling to get away from Tahj and her mama lying limp on the ground. Maybe she was just unconscious like she was the last time she got shot. With this thought in mind the three-year-old carried her two sisters over and next to Elphaba before placing Rowena softly on the ground and poking at the green woman's shoulder.

"Mama…" Ella called out as she poked the older woman. The green woman's eyes were staring eerily up at the sky. "Mama…" Ella repeated as she picked up Rowena once again. The twins had stopped crying.

Tahj noticed Ella walk over to Elphaba's body and knew he had to do something. Ella was too young to understand that Elphaba wasn't going to come back to them anymore.

"Ella." Tahj called out as he let go of the blonde. Ella was his priority at the moment.

As soon as Glinda felt herself free from Tahj's grasp she ran back over towards her fiancée and three daughters.

"Mommy why isn't mama waking up?" Ella stared at her mother as she fell to her knees.

Glinda took one of Elphaba's hands within her own. The hand was cold. The blonde was in too much shock to speak at the moment. Elphaba should have blinked by now...but she didn't.

"Mommy?" Ella repeated again as she tried to rock Kiora and Rowena in her arms. She had seen her mama do this countless times and knew that it soothed the two.

Tahj glanced out at the crowd to see them all still staring intently at the group of women. It disgusted him how those people could just watch as Glinda's lover was shot down in cold blood in front of their eyes.

"Show's over! Go home!" Tahj yelled to try and scare the crowd off. Only a couple of people actually listened and left. The others stuck around. "I SAID LEAVE!" Tahj yelled with a little more force. This time all but about ten or so people left. The ones that remained were either passed out or had been injured somehow in the riot.

Once the crowd had dispersed Tahj turned back around to look at the broken family. He slowly walked over to Elphaba's body before leaning down and placing a hand over her face to close her eyes.

"Let's go Glinda." Tahj rubbed the woman's back as she continued to stare at the green woman in front of her. "I'll take the twins." The head guard motioned for Ella to hand over Rowena and Kiora. He had been grateful that she seemed to know how to care for them, but at the same time he wished that she hadn't needed to. He should have prevented this. He should have stopped this little get together. He knew it was a bad idea and look where it got them. Elphaba was dead.

"I'm not going to leave her." Glinda shook her head as she lay down on the splintery wood next to her love. "I'm never going to leave you my love." The blonde smiled weakly as she wrapped an arm around the waist of the green woman. She nestled into the crook of Elphaba's neck before resuming her weeping once again.

Tahj didn't know what to do. He couldn't leave Glinda out here with the body of her love but at the same time he couldn't allow Ella to witness all of this.

"Come on Ella." Tahj chose to get Ella away from all of this and then he would come back to help Glinda.

"Can you leave the twins?" Glinda raised her head slightly as she made a little space between her and Elphaba. "They need to get to know their mother."

Tahj knew that Glinda was talking as if Elphaba were still alive because of the shock she was under. She still could not accept the fact that the green woman had died protecting everything that the two of them stood for. She died so that her children might one day live in a world where they would not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their heart.

"Of course." Tahj smiled weakly as he laid the twins down in the area between Glinda and Elphaba. "I'll be back as soon as I take Ella to her nanny."

The blonde didn't respond. Instead she began humming an eerie tune as Tahj walked off carrying Ella in his arms. Tahj knew he was probably making a mistake by leaving Glinda with her twins in her state, but he needed to get Ella out of the way. Rowena and Kiora wouldn't remember the day of their mother's death, Ella would.


	57. Chapter 56

**A/N: Last chapter is up and it is extra long! Before you read I just wanted to say thanks to all the readers and reviewers. You guise rock! Without you this story would have gone nowhere. So with that said please enjoy this chapter…and it is M rated…just a warning. ; )**

**p.s. There will be an epilogue…so don't fret if one of the characters hardly gets any writing time…the epilogue will cover it all. And also read my other stories if you like this so much! THANKS AGAIN!! Oh and a reviewer asked me how many pages on word this was...it's 444.**

* * *

**Chapter 56**

The blonde lay with her head resting against Elphaba's unmoving chest, as her left arm cradled their two newborns. Glinda was crying at the loss of her love as well as the loss her daughter's now had to face. Their mother had been stolen from them before it was her time. Nothing anyone could do would change this fact. Kiora and Rowena had just lost the only other green woman in their world. They would have to grow up being shunned for their differences. Glinda knew that she wouldn't be able to provide them comfort, as Elphaba would have been able to. The thought tore her up inside.

"Elphie please wake up." The blonde sobbed against her love's blood stained dress. Elphaba couldn't be gone. She just couldn't. Fate wouldn't be so cruel as to take away the only thing that meant anything to her in this world. The blonde had already had to deal with so much. She couldn't deal with the loss of her lover. Not again.

The green woman's body remained still.

"Come back." Glinda continued to weep. "Come back to me." The blonde buried her head in closer to Elphaba's body.

It was too late. Elphaba was gone.

**XXX**

_One year later…_

Glinda walked down the long corridor between her room and Ella's room. She had an emotionless expression on her face, the same that she had plastered on the day of Elphaba's funeral.

After the initial shock of Elphaba's death had worn off, Glinda could feel nothing but sadness. She could no longer function as she once had. Elphaba's killer hadn't even received a death sentence or time in prison. Instead the citizens of Oz considered him a hero for killing the Wicked Witch. No matter how hard Tahj pressed the judicial system for an indictment, they would never charge him; an action that send Tahj off the deep end. In an attempt to gain justice for Elphaba's death, Tahj had sought out her killer and took it upon himself to give him exactly what he deserved.

Tahj wasn't the same since he took the life of another human being. His spark, along with Glinda's, was gone.

The blonde continued to drag her feet the twenty-five more paces to her daughter's room. The twins had been spending time with their older sister. Ever since they began to walk a month prior, they were impossible for Glinda to keep up with. She tried her best to love them as she would have Ella, but every time she looked at them and saw green, she was reminded of her love. She couldn't look at her family without thinking about Elphaba. Hell she couldn't even look herself in the mirror for fear of what she had become.

Glinda was a zombie. A zombie that made sure her family was fed and taken care of but nothing beyond that. She wasn't the bubbly blonde that had once shared her life with Elphaba. She was different.

"Mom!" Ella smiled as she saw her mother walk into her room. The golden-haired child was approaching five years now.

"Hi." The blonde pretended to plaster on a smile. It didn't work.

"Mama!" The twins cheered. They had recently learned how to speak certain words. All they could say was Mama, Baba, and Dada. Although the twins hardly ever used the latter. Dada would occasionally slip out when Tahj was around, but Glinda knew it was a lie. She was their real dad. Elphaba had mothered them after all.

"Hello my precious angels." Glinda tried to position another fake smile back into place. The twins had certainly grown since Elphaba's death. Rowena was a little more outgoing now and Kiora seemed to quiet down a little, although she still was the rowdy one. They both still had the same green skin as before. Glinda had at least been grateful that the citizens of Oz no longer considered the children evil after that day. She didn't know exactly why they didn't but she attributed it to the fact that the Wicked Witch was their mother. She figured that they were still afraid of her even after her death. She came back once, who's to say she wouldn't again? But Glinda knew it was all a lie. Elphaba wasn't coming back. The stone marked grave underneath a tree in their backyard was a testament to that fact.

"Guess what we did today." The four-year old walked over to her mother before handing over a piece of paper.

The blonde opened the paper to see a family of five standing next to each other. In all actuality they were stick figures, but Glinda could still tell what it was supposed to be. In green crayon, three of the figures were drawn. In pink, two other figures.

"It's out family. See there's you and mama and me and Kiora and Rowena." Ella smiled as she pointed out the people on the page. She still did not understand much about where Elphaba had gone. She figured that her mama went on vacation after giving birth and would come back at any time.

A single tear fell from Glinda's left eye. It hurt her so much whenever Ella would bring the topic of her mama up. Glinda knew that Ella was still too young to understand, but that didn't stop the pain.

"That's really beautiful." Glinda lied as she put the paper aside.

The twins crawled over to the paper before playing a tug of war with it. The paper ripped and the part where Elphaba was drawn was split in two.

"Hello my four favorite women." Tahj peaked his head inside the door. He had told Glinda that he would watch the twins and Ella for a little while. He knew that today was extremely difficult for the blonde because it was the twelve-month anniversary to the death of her beloved fiancée. Elphaba had been gone one year exactly.

"Hi!" Ella smiled as Tahj entered to room. Luckily for him when he decided to go all vigilante, the investigators found nothing of foul play. They had deemed the man's death a suicide. The only one to know the truth was Glinda and the man that he killed.

"Hey Tahj." Glinda smiled weakly as her friend entered the room.

"I'm here to save you from makeover duty." The guard smiled genuinely. He would always let Ella give him a makeover when he watched her.

"Thanks." The blonde replied with not so much as a chuckle as she leaned forward to kiss her three daughters. "I'll see you later."

"Bye mommy!" Ella waved goodbye to her mother as she went over and pulled out her stash of lipstick and blush.

**XXX**

Glinda wandered aimlessly around the castle for a couple of minutes. She didn't know exactly where she was going or why she had asked Tahj to watch the girls. She should have been spending the day of their mother's death with them. Instead she decided to mope around. Not any different from what she had been doing lately anyhow.

The blonde walked through the double doors to the entrance of the grounds. She was headed towards Elphaba's grave. A place that she made sure to visit at least once a day. Today she was going to visit extra long.

"Hello my love." Glinda whispered as she sat down on the patch of grass above her love. The blonde reached out a hand and traced the lettering of Elphaba's name on her gravestone. 'Elphaba Thropp Upland' it read. Sure she was never truly married to Glinda, but that didn't change Glinda's mind in adding the surname to the stone. Elphaba would have wanted it that way.

"I hope you're doing well." The blue eyes began to water as she traced a message written at the bottom of the stone. The message read, 'Devoted mother, lover, and friend. She died so that others may live.'

"I wish you could be here to see Rowena and Kiora. They're getting better at walking everyday." The woman smiled weakly as the first tear fell from her eyes. "Kiora did the cutest thing this morning. She accidentally found out how to open the cooler. There was ice cream everywhere." The blonde chuckled at the memory. "She is still just like me." Glinda allowed more tears to fall. "You'd be so proud of them Elphie. They really are amazing girls."

The blonde shifted her weight slightly so she was sitting Indian style. Her hand went back to outlining Elphaba's name.

"Ella misses you everyday. It's still hard for her to understand that you went away. But I know the truth. I know that you're still here with us. I can feel it. I can feel you baby." The blonde dropped her hand down into her lap. "I miss you Elphaba."

Glinda wasn't really sure why she felt the need to talk to Elphaba as if she were still here. She knew that she was gone from this world for good.

"It's been one year since you were taken from me and I still can't come to terms with that. I need you back in my life. I can't go on much longer without you." The blonde buried her head in her hands as her body began to shake. The thought of living much longer without Elphaba was too hard to face. She couldn't stand it any longer.

"You were always the strong one. I can't be strong like you. I can't." The blonde continued to weep as she pulled out a dagger from her satchel that she had brought with her. "I don't know if I can live in a world where you don't exist."

Glinda brought the blade up to her wrist. She had thought about suicide for nearly a year now but had never had the courage. Being here today was different. She couldn't handle the pain anymore. She wanted it all to end. This dagger that she had brought with her everyday would finally fulfill its duty.

"I'll be seeing you soon baby." The blonde sobbed once last time before she plunged the metallic blade into her skin.

As the blade made contact Glinda yelped in pain. She hadn't expected it to hurt this much. She looked down to see the damage and saw a small puddle of blood forming on her shirt. She had cut herself pretty deeply. All she had to do now was wait.

"Now we can be together forever." The blonde continued to cry as the blood dripped down her wrist. The blood never touched the grass; it stayed within the confines of Glinda's white skirt.

Glinda continued to cry until she found herself a little too weak to continue. Carefully she moved from her sitting position to lye down on the grass above her love. She closed her eyes when she felt a little lightheaded.

"I love you." Glinda whispered before reaching out to touch the gravestone. Her bloodied hand fell upon Elphaba's name. "Always and forever." The blonde announced before her arm dropped to the ground.

**XXX**

Tahj looked at the clock. It was half past four. Glinda said she would return for the kids at four. That was thirty minutes ago.

Ella and the twins were all taking a nap at the moment and so Tahj took this as an opportunity to slip out of their room. He needed to go locate Glinda to make sure she was all right. She was even less like herself today than she had been in a long time.

"Glinda." Tahj called into Glinda's room. When he saw that the room was vacant he knew that there was only one other place the woman always went. He was going to go check Elphaba's grave.

**XXX**

As soon as Glinda's hand dropped to the cold grass below, the gravestone began to glow a bright green color.

Glinda didn't notice because her eyes had been shut. She was now laying unconscious on the ground six feet above her love.

The stone continued to glow as Tahj made his way over to the blonde.

"What the…?" Tahj's eyes drew together in concern as he saw the stone glow. What the hell was happening? He walked closer to investigate when she saw the blonde lying on the ground with a puddle of blood beside her. Tahj's eyes shot open as he ran towards the blonde woman.

"GLINDA!" Tahj yelled as he slided in next to the blonde. "Glinda!" He repeated as he took her face within his hands. Had he been too late? Had Glinda's life ended?

Tahj paid no attention to the growing brightness coming from the stone. All he cared about was keeping Glinda alive. He felt for a pulse and found one. It was weak but it was still there.

The guard swung his jacket off and pressed it against the open wound to get it to stop bleeding. He needed to get Glinda medical help but he knew the doctor took this week off for vacation. There was no one in the medical ward to help him.

"Glinda you have to wake up. Your daughters need you! You can't leave them like Elphaba did." Tahj pleaded with the blonde as she tightened his grip around his jacket. The blood was seeping through.

"Glinda!" Tahj called again as he tried to slap the blonde woman's face to regain consciousness. It wasn't working.

"Glinda you need to wake up damn it!" Tears were beginning to fall down Tahj's cheeks. He had already lost Elphaba; he couldn't lose Glinda as well. What would her daughters do? Ella couldn't go through losing another parent.

Tahj's grief suddenly turned into anger. How could Glinda do this to them? Leaving the girls all alone in this world? It was just down right selfish.

Tahj closed his eyes as he felt the pulse that he had felt before slip away.

Glinda was gone.

**XXX**

The stone continued to glow an emerald green until Glinda's life was gone. The stone stopped glowing.

Tahj looked up at the sudden change in color and gasped when he saw who stood behind it. Elphaba was standing behind the gravestone looking no different than the day that she had died. The only difference was that she wore a look of utter confusion on her face. Where the hell was she?

"Elphaba." Tahj whispered in disbelief as he stared at the green woman standing in front of him. "But how? You're dead!" Tahj hit himself in the head to make sure he wasn't going crazy. After losing Glinda and Elphaba that was a strong possibility.

The green woman took a moment to find where the voice was coming from. When she located the noise her eye's widened in horror at seeing her lover's lifeless body surrounded by blood. What the hell had happened? The last thing she remembered was waking up and it was the day that they would tell all of Oz about their children's green skin.

"Glinda." The green woman whispered under her breath as she quickly made her way over to the pair before dropping to her knees. "What the hell happened?" Elphaba demanded to know as she tried to wake the blonde.

Tahj didn't answer. He couldn't get over the fact that Elphaba was sitting next to him, alive and healthy. He continued to stare as the green woman began to shake the limp form of her love.

"What happened?!" Elphaba yelled when she didn't receive a response. That's when she saw the dagger sitting a couple of inches from the blonde. "Who stabbed her?"

"She did." Tahj finally managed to speak, as he feared for what the green woman might do if he didn't. He still couldn't believe that Elphaba looked as alive as ever.

The green woman couldn't believe what she was hearing. Why had Glinda taken her own life? She didn't have much time to ponder this however. She needed to revive Glinda and save her life.

"Stand back." Elphaba informed Tahj to back off. The man wasted no time in scrambling to the other side of the two.

Tahj watched in amazement as Elphaba placed her hands over Glinda's wound and began to say a little chant. He wasn't aware that Elphaba could perform spells without the use of a spell book. Bringing back the dead was impossible. Or was Glinda really dead?

"Excito sursum vos postulo ut excito sursum quod exsisto sanus iterum." The green woman chanted as she moved her hands above Glinda. Elphaba was always the stronger witch of the two. Sorcery came a lot easier to her than it ever did for Glinda. All she needed to do was think about what she wanted and the words appeared within her head.

The green woman continued to recite the spell a couple of times until she finally saw the blood that had dripped down Glinda's arm reverse and go back inside. It was like watching something in rewind.

The green woman smiled at her success. She only had to keep this up long enough for Glinda's arm to heal. This was a very powerful spell and was beginning to wear on her. Sweat began to form at the green woman's forehead as she continued to chant. She wasn't going to give up until Glinda was safe.

"Excito sursum vos postulo ut excito sursum quod exsisto sanus iterum." The green woman repeated as she saw the cut on Glinda's arm beginning to close up.

Tahj was watching this with unrecorded shock. Elphaba was alive and she was bringing Glinda back to life as well. This was a little too much for his to handle and so he fainted.

The green woman never broke her concentration as she continued to chant. Her voice was strangled and the sweat was so heavy that it dripped from the green woman's forehead to Glinda's cheek below.

As soon as a drop of sweat hit Glinda's face the blonde gasped and opened her eyes.

The green woman slumped down as she saw that Glinda was going to be all right. She was breathing heavy and was close to passing out herself. For some reason that spell had taken a lot out of her. It was as if she had been out of practice for a long time.

The blonde's eyes looked towards the sound of heavy breathing. Her heart stopped at seeing her love sitting next to her. So she had died and gone to heaven.

"Y-you really sho-shouldn't scare me li-like that." The green woman spoke up as she tried to regain her composure. She was feeling a little lightheaded.

The blonde took in Elphaba's appearance and noticed all the sweat and shortness of breath. Why would Elphaba be acting this way if it were heaven?

"Well are you are least going to say something?" Elphaba managed to get out before staring into Glinda's piercing blue eyes. She noticed that Glinda looked different than when she saw her the night before. She looked incredibly thin and worn down. There were dark circles under her eyes that made her look as if she hadn't slept in a year. What was going on?

"Elphie?" Glinda spoke timidly at first. She was afraid that if she spoke too loud then she would wake up from her dream and Elphie would disappear.

"Who else?" Elphaba chuckled lightly not really knowing why Glinda was so stunned.

"Am I in heaven?" The blonde asked as she reached her hand out to touch Elphaba. When her fingers came in contact with skin her hand shot back. Elphaba looked and felt so real.

"Uh…no…." The green woman was confused. "But you should explain yourself for the whole knife to the wrist incident. I can't be expected to save your sorry ass every time."

"Am I in hell?" The blonde woman asked. She knew that this wasn't hell though. Elphaba was too pure and good hearted to go to such a horrible place.

"No. What's the meaning of this Glinda?" The green woman asked a little frustrated. Her eyes then caught on a grey stone to her right. She read the words and her eyes went wide. "AM I DEAD?" The green woman yelled as she looked back to Glinda.

"Am _I _dead?" The blonde asked Elphaba in return. Neither one knew who was dead nor who wasn't. This was so confusing.

"Glinda what's going on?" The green women turned again to her gravestone and then back towards Glinda. "What day is it?"

The blonde told the green woman the day as she watched the gears turn in Elphaba's mind. Was this really Elphaba in front of her back from the dead? This couldn't be.

"What day do you think it is?" The blonde asked timidly as she reached out her hand once again to touch Elphaba's soft skin.

"We are supposed to tell the people of Oz that our children are green today." The green woman shook her head in disbelief.

The blonde woman's eyes shot up. This was Elphaba. No other explanation could explain how that was the last thing she remembered. If this were the afterlife then she would know exactly how she had died.

"Elphie." Glinda whispered breathlessly one last time before shooting up from her position on the ground and landing on top of the green woman's body. The green woman fell over from the force of Glinda on top of her.

"Glinda what the he…mmmfh." Elphaba was caught off guard as a pair of pink lips crashed against her own.

The blonde cried as the kissed Elphaba for the first time in a year. She didn't care how or why Elphaba was back, all she cared about was that her love was beneath her kissing her back.

The green woman was a little surprised at the force of Glinda's kiss. It was as if she were kissing her to make sure that she was really there. The green woman didn't mind however. She kissed Glinda back with just as much charisma and enthusiasm.

Glinda continued to cry as she deepened the kiss. She had missed Elphaba so much. She needed all of her. She needed to make sure that she was really here with her and that this wasn't all a pigment of her imagination.

The green woman broke back from the kiss as she felt Glinda's hands begin to wander under her shirt.

"Not now." The green woman replied huskily as she held onto Glinda's wandering limb with her good arm.

"Why?" Glinda pouted as she escaped the grasp of Elphaba and began to tear at her shirt once again. She needed to make love to her to make sure that she was truly back.

"The doctor said we have to wait five more weeks. You know that Glinda." The green woman replied as she swatted at the wandering hands.

"Screw the doctor." Glinda didn't care. It had been a year and two weeks since the two women had last made love. Five weeks passed forever ago.

"Glin…." The green woman continued to protest but was caught off guard as Glinda's hand entered her underwear. She gasped as she felt delicate fingers brush against her.

"I love you Elphie." The blonde needed to say it.

"I love you too." The green woman smiled as she felt Glinda start to play around a little down there. The blonde knew that Elphaba wasn't wet enough to enter but she would soon change that.

The blonde leaned her head back down and began to kiss Elphaba passionately as she continued to stroke outside of her love.

The green woman wrapped her good arm around Glinda and pulled her closer to her body. She opened her eyes to look into Glinda's when a figure caught her eye to the side of them.

"Glin," Elphaba panted as she pulled back from the kiss. "Tahj is here." The green woman had completely forgot that Tahj was passed out next to the two.

Glinda looked over and sure enough Tahj was there. He seemed to be sleeping and so Glinda continued to tease Elphaba.

"He's asleep. It's just you and me." The blonde replied as she placed her mouth upon Elphaba's neck. The blonde slowly brought her free hand up to begin removing the buttons of Elphaba's dress. She didn't care that they were out in the open and Tahj was passed out next to them. Hell all of Oz could watch for all she cared. She only had one thing on her mind and that was making love to Elphie.

The green woman was going to dispute but decided against it the second she felt Glinda latch on to her neck. The blonde was placing open mouth kisses as she slowly moved her way downwards. She placed kisses where fabric had just been.

The green woman moaned as she felt Glinda take one of her breasts within her mouth and begin to lightly suck on the green nipple. Her back arched as the blonde bit the tip, sending a wave of pleasure and pain through the green woman's body. The doctor's could be damned. She wanted Glinda inside of her and she wanted her now.

"Glin…" Elphaba said breathlessly. "Stop teasing."

The blonde smiled wickedly before playing with the green woman a little bit longer. She wasn't done enjoying all of the other limbs the green woman had to offer.

Glinda made a quick change to Elphaba's other breast as she carefully inserted two fingers into the warm liquid she had missed so much. The blonde cried against Elphaba as she thought about how the last time they had made love they didn't know that it was their last time.

Elphaba's hips began to grind against Glinda's fingers but she wasn't so far gone that she didn't see Glinda's crying. Why was her love in so much distress?

"What's wrong?" The green woman asked as she tried to focus on Glinda's crying instead of on the pleasure she was feeling at the moment.

Glinda didn't respond. Instead she reached up and placed a smoldering kiss on the green woman's mouth before pushing her fingers in deeper. She wasn't going to let her emotions get the best of her.

The green woman was about to object when she felt Glinda dig deeper inside of her. The green woman's back arched as she tried to keep up with the rhythm Glinda was creating.

The blonde continued to passionately kiss Elphaba as she wriggled her fingers about. She had told herself after Elphaba's death that she would never sleep with another woman again. She was glad that she was able to keep that promise and still make love to Elphaba at the same time.

"Mmm." Elphaba smiled against Glinda's lips as she felt the blonde begin to curl her fingers against a certain spot that drove the green woman crazy.

The blonde broke the kiss off so the she could move down and taste her love. It had been so long that she was beginning to forget the flavor.

Elphaba moaned loudly as she felt Glinda's lips against her swollen center. The combination of Glinda's fingers and tongue were driving her over the edge.

With one last swipe of her tongue, Glinda moved her hand up to press on a bundle of nerves located outside of Elphaba's opening.

The green woman's back arched as waves of pleasure crashed against her again and again.

"Glinda!" Elphaba called out Glinda's name as she rode out her orgasm. The blonde expertly drew it out as she watched the facial expressions her love was making. She had missed seeing Elphaba's face as she was overcome with sheer ecstasy.

The green woman continued to pulsate and quiver as the remains of her climax ran their course. When she was finally able to understand what was going on she found herself wrapped up in the arms of her love.

"I missed you so much." The blonde shed tears of happiness as she held onto the green woman tightly. "Don't ever leave me again."

"I won't." The green woman smiled as she snuggled in closer to her love. She still didn't understand how she had apparently died and come back to life but those were all details they could save for another time.

The two sat like that for a couple of seconds before Elphaba's left arm began to caress Glinda's sides. Now it was her turn.

The blonde smiled as she felt Elphaba caressing her sides and up to her breasts. She would have been happy just making love to Elphaba for the rest of her life but if Elphaba wanted to reciprocate then who was she to deny such a request?

Carefully the green woman climbed on top of the blonde before placing a loving kiss on her lips. The green woman smiled as she tasted herself still lingering on those pink lips.

"I love you Glinda." Elphaba grinned before reaching back down to place kisses along the blonde woman's neck. Elphaba's good hand moved up to start unbuttoning whatever the blonde had on.

"I love you." The blonde smiled as she felt her love's gentle touch on her body once again. A part of her was screaming that this wasn't real but another part of her said that it was. How else could Elphaba be here making love to her so passionately?

The green woman removed the article of clothing before reaching up and kneading on one of Glinda's breasts. The weather wasn't exactly the nicest outside and so the coldness was adding to the effect that Elphaba was having on her fiancée.

The blonde moaned as she felt Elphaba caress her in such a way that she had only imagined for over a year. This was perfect.

Elphaba smiled as she continued to massage Glinda's breast within her hand. Her mouth moved down to place a kiss against Glinda's other.

The blonde woman's chest puffed out as she willed Elphaba to get closer.

The green woman took this distraction to slowly slip her other arm out of her sling. She hadn't gotten around to telling Glinda that her arm had healed. She was going to tell her but she decided to surprise her with it. What better way that to surprise her now?

While Glinda was too preoccupied with Elphaba's hand and mouth upon her chest, she didn't noticed The green hand creep lower and lower until it was hovering above her center.

With one last nip at the blonde's nipple, Elphaba slipped her fingers within her love.

The blonde gasped at the sudden intrusion upon her private area. She hadn't been expected it since Elphaba's only hand had been occupied at the time.

"Surprise." Elphaba grinned as she saw the look of utter shock on Glinda's face. She continued to move within her love, exploring what she had missed out while she had been gone.

The blonde was about to ask how that was possible but was cut off when green lips found her own.

The green woman continued to stroke inside of her love as the two of them gained speed. Elphaba was going to make love to Glinda how she had made love to her.

The green woman slowly pulled back from the blonde who pouted at the sudden loss of contact. She was repaid when Elphaba leaned down to capture Glinda's juices within her mouth.

The blonde arched her back as she felt Elphaba go where no one had gone for nearly thirteen months. Thirteen months was a long time to go without sex when they were used to at least four times a week.

The green woman continued to thrust inside of her love, collecting any juices that made their way out. When she knew that Glinda was ready, she slowly pulled back and kissed her way back up to Glinda's mouth.

The blonde panted heavily as she neared the edge. She needed Elphaba to push her over just that tiny bit.

"Elphie…" Glinda groaned as she wiggled around the green woman's fingers. She needed them to press on that one spot that would send her over the edge.

The green woman smiled against Glinda's pale skin as she curled her fingers on that one spot.

Glinda froze as she felt all the pressure that had built up inside of her be released. She didn't freeze for long, just long enough to allow Elphaba to shift slightly so that she was in a better position to bring her love over.

"Let go Glinda." The green woman whispered as she stoked inside of her love. She could feel Glinda's muscles contracting against her fingers.

The blonde's eyes fluttered closed as she allowed the pleasure to overtake her senses. She yelled Elphaba's name as she climaxed long and hard.

It was during that yelling of Elphaba's name that Tahj began to stir. The guard looked up to see where all the noise was coming from. When his eyes came back into focus he saw a half naked green woman on top of a fully nude blonde. The guard blinked a couple of times to make sure his vision wasn't tricking him. Maybe he had hit his head harder than he thought.

The guard quickly made an assessment of the situation and decided that pretending to still be passed out was probably the best bet. The guard laid his head back down and closed his eyes, a slight smile appearing on his features.

**XXX**

Five minutes later the two of them had scrambled to get their clothes back on before anyone caught them. They had been so reckless to have sex in the middle of a field, but at the time it seemed like a good idea.

"How are you back?" The blonde asked as she pulled her dress back on. She was grateful that Elphaba was back but she still didn't understand exactly how that was possible.

"I don't know." The green woman shrugged. She was still having a hard time believing that she had been dead. "What did you do before I came back?"

Glinda frowned as she remembered trying to commit suicide. How had she been so careless and selfish? What would Ella and Ro and Kiora have done? It was stupid of her.

"I tried to kill myself." The blonde admitted as she walked back over to her love. She didn't want to be too far from the green woman.

"Why would you want to kill yourself?" The green woman frowned as she remembered coming back to an unconscious Glinda.

"Life isn't worth living without you. You're my everything." The blonde smiled weakly as she placed her arms around Elphaba.

"That was still a stupid thing to do. What about our daughters?" The green woman hugged Glinda back although she was still a little upset. How could Glinda kill herself after Elphaba had apparently died for her? Elphaba's death would have been in vain.

"I know." Glinda frowned. She knew that Elphaba was right. "I promise to never kill myself again if you promise to stop dying on me." Glinda chuckled.

"That is a promise I can keep." Elphaba smiled as she leaned forward and placed a kiss on her love's lips. However she had come back could be dealt with later. Right now she needed to assure her love that she wasn't going anywhere. And this time she really wasn't.

**THE END!...Until the Epilogue, haha.**


	58. Epilogue

**A/N: Epilogue is up…meaning no more updates to this story...sadness I know…but I do have a surprise for you guys at the end. If you are patient enough to wait until then, haha. Enjoy the Epilogue!! It's fluffy goodness!**

**Epilogue**

_6 months later…_

Glinda Upland scrambled around her bedroom trying to locate something blue. She had all the finishing touches on her wedding dress done except for that one piece. She had something new, she had something borrowed, she had something old, and now all she needed was something blue.

"What are you looking for mommy?" The flower girl came up beside her mother as she frantically tore apart her room.

"I need something blue. Can you help me out Ella?" The blonde stared at her five-year old daughter. Ella was dressed in a flowing white dress with dashes of pink placed around the waist.

"Sure." The child smiled as she helped her mother look for something blue that could easily be concealed beneath a wedding dress. Ella was so excited that Elphaba had returned to them six months ago. She had really matured since the last time they had seen each other.

"How about this?" Ella asked her mother as she held up a blue crayon.

Glinda chuckled as her daughter held up a crayon. Of course Glinda was not going to ruin her wedding day by accidentally letting the wax of a crayon melt onto her white wedding dress.

"I don't think that'll work." The blonde smiled as she rummaged through her jewelry box. "Ah ha!" Glinda cheered as she pulled out a pair of silver and blue earrings. Anything would go with her dress. "My something blue." The blonde smiled as she put the earrings into both ears.

"You look really pretty mommy." Ella smiled as she looked at her mother all dressed up.

Glinda was wearing a princess cut gown with a sweetheart neckline. The top of her dress was form fitting and when it met her waist the skirt began to flare out all the way down to the bottom. The dresses sleeves hung off of the blonde girl's upper arms. No part of the fabric touched her shoulders. The train to her particular dress was a cathedral style. The back end extended two and a half yards from the blonde girl's waist. It was such a long train that she had asked a couple of the ushers to hold it up for her so it would not drag against the ground. The color of such a beautiful dress was none other than the customary white. Of course Glinda had to have some flare to it and so she had asked the dressmaker to include little pink flowers along the skirt. They were not the annoying pink, they were more of a subdued salmon pink.

"Thank you." Glinda smiled to her daughter. "You look pretty beautiful yourself."

Ella grinned. She was wearing the traditional style flower girl dress. It was almost a miniature version of her mother's dress, although the neckline was vastly different. Instead of a sweetheart cut, she had a bateau style. The bateau style had a high neckline with no scoop at all. It went straight across the five-year olds chest. The color to her dress was similar to Glinda's as well. The only exception was that Ella's pink color was a little brighter. It was more of a cotton candy pink than a salmon pink.

"Thank you!" The little girl continued to smile as she twirled in her dress. She felt like a princess today.

"You're very welcome." Glinda smiled as she went over to take Ella's hand it her own. "Are you ready for our big debut?"

Ella giggled. She had been looking forward to nothing more than the wedding ever since Elphaba had come back. At first things had been difficult, but after awhile things had calmed down. People no longer challenged Elphaba for one reason or another. The green woman liked to believe that the citizens of Oz were just learning to accept her, Glinda knew that it was because they still feared her.

"Yep." Ella smiled as she held out her hand for her mother to take.

"Then lead the way." Glinda latched hands with her daughter before the two exited the room. The next stop was marriage.

**XXX**

Elphaba fumbled with her dress a couple of times before finally concluding that it looked all right. It had taken a lot out of her to agree to wear such a revealing dress. The silhouette on her dress was sheath style. Unlike Glinda's it didn't flow out once it hit the waist. In fact it probably got thinner. The dress hugged the green woman's body tightly. The only way she was able to walk was from the slit that ran down the side.

Her dress had no train to it. It ended exactly where the dress ended; at her ankles. The neckline to her particular dress was a halter type. That wasn't the revealing part however. The revealing was in the back. Since there were no sleeves to worry about, the dress dipped all the way to her upper buttocks, revealing all her green skinned back in its glory.

Usually Elphaba would never wear something that revealed that much skin but she knew that Glinda would love it. Tahj had also helped her pick it out saying that she had a nice back that she should show off. How Tahj knew such a thing Elphaba would never know.

"Okay you can do this." The green woman stared at her reflection in the mirror. What she saw staring back at her was nothing like she had ever seen before. She actually looked quite breathtaking, a word she would never use for herself before now.

"Pwetty." A noise came from the bed that Elphaba had occupied the night before. She hadn't slept in the same room as Glinda because it was customary the bride never see the groom, or in this case bride, the night before the wedding.

"Thank you." The green woman smiled as she turned around to face her two twin daughters that were sitting on the bed. She had dressed them earlier and was now trying to make herself look presentable.

Elphaba finished looking herself over one last time before walking over to the bed. Kiora and Rowena had grown a lot since the last time Elphaba had seen them. She was sort of upset that she had missed a whole year out of their lives but was at least grateful that she didn't have to miss anymore than just that year.

The twins had taken an automatic liking to Elphaba once she returned to life. Maybe it was the fact that she was green as well, or maybe it was just the fact that they knew who their mommy was. Ever since Elphaba's return, the green woman had tried to spend as much time with the kids as possible. She saw how losing a year could change her kids so much. Ella was now learning to read, Kiora was no longer crying every ten minutes, and Rowena had suddenly gained a passion for music. Whenever Ro was alone in a room she would often be found humming to herself.

"Are my two little peas ready to go?" Elphaba asked as she sat down on the bed next to her twins.

Kiora and Rowena wore matching dresses. They were both floor-length light pink dresses. The neckline had a collar to it, and the waistline had a ribbon of green around it. Elphaba couldn't help but think they looked a little bit like watermelon with their green skin, pink dress, and dark eyes. Both of their eyes had turned out to be the color of Elphaba's.

"Up!" Rowena clapped her hands as she asked for her mother to pick her up. Kiora followed suit and asked to be picked up as well.

The green woman chuckled as she scooped her twin daughters off of the bed. She was so lucky to have function of both arms again.

"Let's go marry your mother." Elphaba grinned as she led her daughter's from the room she had been getting ready in.

**XXX**

Glinda was the first one to arrive at the wedding ceremony. The two of them had decided to have an outdoor wedding, and today was the perfect day to have one. There was a slight breeze, but nothing too bad to unravel the blonde's hair from on top of her head.

"There you are!" Tahj smiled as he saw Ella and Glinda walk into the reception area. "You both look beautiful." The guard smiled as he took in the appearance of both Glinda and Ella. He had seen Elphaba's dress but he had yet to see the blonde's.

"Thank you." Glinda beamed as she let go of Ella's hand. Now that they were here the five-year old needed to go gather her basket full of flowers.

"Oh don't thank me. You look absolutely stunning." Tahj continued to compliment Glinda. She really did look gorgeous in her gown. Plus she had this happy glow about her that Tahj had missed all of the time that Elphaba was gone.

The blonde blushed slightly, although it was hard to tell because it blended in so well with her makeup.

"Is Elphie here?" The blonde looked around the room hoping to spot her love.

"Eh eh eh, not until the wedding." Tahj chided Glinda for trying to sneak a peak at her love. He knew that keeping them apart would add to the effect when they saw each other in their dresses.

The blonde pouted but couldn't hold it for long. She was too happy to pout about anything on this day. She was getting married to the woman she loved. She was getting married to the mother of her two wonderful twins, and the adopted mother to Ella.

"Ella go try and sneak a peak at your mama." The blonde tried to use Ella as a spy. She could be the mediator between the two. Glinda was growing antsy not seeing Elphaba for so long.

"Okay!" The little girl giggled as she went off in the other room where her mama was supposed to be.

"Using your daughter to do your dirty work." Tahj chuckled as Ella ran off.

"It's not dirty work…I just want to make sure she is okay…" The blonde tried to defend her actions. She was perfectly in her right to go check up on Elphaba.

"She was the last time I checked on her." The guard walked over and grabbed a cup of water.

"But that was an hour ago. Something could have happened by then." The blonde joined Tahj but didn't drink anything. She didn't want to be in the middle of the ceremony and suddenly realize she had to pee. That would have been pure hell in her dress.

"Nothing has happened." Tahj chuckled. "You need to calm down Glinda. Everything is going perfectly fine."

"I know." The blonde sighed. She couldn't help but feel as if something bad might happen. So much bad had happened that it was just inevitable.

"Relax." Tahj assured his friend.

"Five minutes!" The minister called out as he passed the pair on his way to the tent that covered the chairs and aisle.

**XXX**

"You look really pretty mama!" Ella smiled as she found her mama and two sisters in the next room. Elphaba was pacing back and forth. She stopped when she heard Ella come into the room.

"Thank you. You look pretty beautiful yourself." The green woman smiled as she walked over to give Ella a hug. She never grew tired of hugging her little girls. Ever since she came back she would not walk into or out of a room unless she hugged someone first. She figured it was some weird side effect from wherever she had been.

"Mommy picked my dress out." The five-year old modeled the dress for her mama by twirling around much as she had done earlier.

"She does have good taste." Elphaba smiled at the mention of her love. She had missed Glinda so much in the twenty-four hours that they had been apart. She couldn't wait to get the wedding over with just so they could get to the honeymoon.

They had taken off two whole weeks for their honeymoon. The first week they were going to take the family to the lake near Shiz where they used to go, and then the second week Tahj had promised to come get the girl's so they could have some alone time.

"Ellie!" Rowena and Kiora yelled simultaneously as they walked over to their big sister. They had called Ella Ellie for reasons that neither Glinda nor Elphaba really knew. It just seemed to be something the two of them came up with on their own.

Rowena and Kiora were always scheming things together. Their mothers knew they would have a hard time keeping up with the twins once they grew a little older. They always seemed to be into something. Just last week Rowena had kept guard while Kiora snuck into the kitchen to get some cake for the two of them.

"Hey baby sisters!" Ella called as she pulled her sisters into a hug. She loved being the oldest sibling. She envied Glinda as a mother so much that she wanted to be one of her own. Having younger siblings allowed her to act like a mom, but without having to punish the kids if they were bad. Ella liked being the 'good' mom.

Elphaba smiled as she watched her daughter's interact. How she had become so lucky she's never know.

"Five minutes!" The minister stuck his head in the door to let Elphaba know when the ceremony was to begin.

The green woman began to sweat as she thought about standing in front of all of those people. She had never been one for crowds, and the wedding party was unusually small, but the idea still frightened her.

"Okay Ella you're probably needed out front. Do you have your flowers?" Elphaba turned her attention back towards Ella. She remembered in the wedding rehearsal that Ella was to come before Glinda and Elphaba so she needed to be out there already.

"Yep." The little girl smiled as she picked up her flowers.

"Okay can you take the girls out front to go sit with their nanny." Elphaba asked as she straightened the girl's dresses. She wanted to make sure they looked perfect.

"Yep. Come on Roki!" Ella called as she walked her baby sisters from the room. Roki was a nickname that she called the two of them together. Instead of saying both names she had combined it into one so that it was easier to say. The twins seemed to like having their own special nickname from their big sister.

The green woman was left all alone in the big room. She had about three minutes until it was show time.

**XXX**

"Okay I have to go to Elphaba now but it's going to be okay. Don't panic. Relax." Tahj tried to calm his obviously nervous friend down. He hated leaving her alone like this but he knew that he was needed elsewhere.

"I'm as relaxed as a girl could be on her wedding day." Glinda smiled nervously as she fidgeted with her engagement ring on her left hand. Soon there would be something else on that finger to twirl around as a nervous habit.

"Good." Tahj smiled encouragingly. "You know what to do. By the time you come out I'll be waiting for you." The guard flashed one of his best smiled before leaning over and placing a kiss on Glinda's cheek. "Good luck."

The blonde watched as Tahj left her alone in the room. Now all she had to do was wait until she heard the wedding march.

**XXX**

"Tahj!" Elphaba called out, relieved to see that her friend hadn't backed down. Being left alone to her own thoughts was never a good idea on the day of your wedding. She was having all sorts of what-if questions running through her head.

"You didn't think I'd let you walk down the aisle all by yourself did you?" The guard flashed a toothy grin as he grabbed a hold of Elphaba's left arm.

"Not for a second." The green woman smiled as she latched arms with Tahj. Since she didn't have a father she had asked Tahj to walk her down the aisle.

"Good." Tahj tugged on the girl's arm. "Now let's go! You don't want to miss your own wedding." The guard chuckled as he led Elphaba out from the room and into the sun.

The green woman blinked as she stared at all of the people watching her. She took one last deep breath as she stepped onto the white-carpeted aisle that was strewn with flower petals. Ella was up ahead smiling at her mama encouragingly as the wedding march began to play for the first time.

**XXX**

Glinda listened to the wedding march being played for the first time and knew that Elphaba was walking down the aisle at this exact moment. However badly she wanted to see her love she didn't sneak a peak. She wanted to be surprised when she saw Elphie waiting for her at the end of the aisle. It would all be worthwhile.

A couple more seconds passed before the song ended. That meant that Elphaba had reached the end and was now standing next to Ella waiting for her love to come out.

Glinda became even more nervous the second Tahj appeared. He was here to collect the blonde.

"Are you ready?" Tahj smiled as he made his way towards Glinda.

"Tell me she looked beautiful out there." Glinda needed a little bit of encouragement. She needed to hear that her love was doing okay with everything.

"She looked gorgeous." Tahj smiled. "And she can't wait to see you."

Glinda took one last deep breath before taking hold of the arm that Tahj offered her. Now it was her turn to walk down the aisle.

**XXX**

Elphaba sighed in relief as she reached the other end of the aisle without tripping all over herself. Now the hard part was over. She just had to wait for Glinda to show up and walk down that same aisle. The thought of which put a smile on the green woman's face. She couldn't wait to see Glinda in her dress.

The green woman waited for a little while longer while Tahj doubled back for the blonde. The whole time he was gone she couldn't help but think of how she was the luckiest woman in all of Oz right now. She was about to be married to Glinda Upland.

Elphaba was lost in a daydream as she heard the same melodic tune she had heard before start up again. She looked up and was met with piercing blue eyes locked onto her own.

The green woman's breath caught as she took in the sight of her love. She had never seen Glinda glow as much as she was right now. The blonde was meant for the world of ball gowns and fancy hairstyles. She looked absolutely stunning and in her element.

Glinda in turn was having a hard time placing one foot in front of the other as she took in the appearance of the green woman she was about to marry. The dress that Elphaba had chosen was beautiful. It was sophisticated with a touch of sexiness towards the back.

Glinda smiled as she mirrored the expression on her love's face. The two never broke eye contact as Glinda slowly but surely made her way up to the altar.

"I love you." Elphaba mouthed as she saw her love begin to tear up. She too was on the border of tears.

"I love you too." The blonde mouthed as well as she let the first tear of happiness stream down her cheek. Luckily she didn't have that much further to go. Soon she would be within inches of her love.

Elphaba continued to smile as Glinda made her way closer and closer to her. She didn't think she could love the blonde any more than she already did. She was wrong. All the love she felt emanating off of her love right now was almost too much to handle.

Glinda finally reached the end of the aisle and accepted the green woman's hand to help her up onto the little ledge that the minister had created for the two.

Blue eyes met brown in what seemed like an eternity as Elphaba took both of Glinda's hands into her own. They stood facing each other as the minister began the ceremony.

"Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to join these two individuals in holy matrimony." The minister began as he read from an ancient book.

Elphaba and Glinda smiled at each other as Elphaba began to rub the back of Glinda's hand with her thumb.

The minister continued to drown on about the importance of marriage and what it meant to be married. The two lovers didn't really listen that much, they were too intent on staring at each other, memorizing the other's face on the day of their marriage.

"Marriage has been described as the best and most important relationship that can exist between two individuals. It is the construction of their love and trust into a single growing energy of spiritual life. It is amoral commitment that requires and deserves daily attention. Marriage should be a life long consecration of the ideal of loving kindness – backed with the will to make it last." The minister continued to speak.

The green woman began to get a little nervous, as she knew what was coming up next. Glinda noticed this and squeezed Elphaba's hands in encouragement before mouthing the words 'I love you' once again.

"Now I would like to take a couple of minutes for the exchanging of vows." The minister finally came to the hardest part. "Elphaba." He told the green woman that it was her turn to speak first.

The green woman took a deep breath before allowing her words of love to spill.

"I, Elphaba Thropp, take you, Glinda Upland, to be my partner, loving what I know of you, and trusting what I do not yet know. I eagerly anticipate the chance to grow together, getting to know the woman you will become, and falling in love a little more every day. You stole my heart back in college and it will forever be yours. I thank you everyday for the wonderful children you have blessed us with, and I will continue to be thankful everyday I spend with them. I promise to love and cherish you through whatever life may bring us."

Glinda let tears of happiness fall down her face as she heard her love express how much she meant to her. Now it was her turn to say how much her life has changed for the better because of Elphaba.

"I, Glinda Upland, take you, Elphaba Thropp, to be my partner, my best friend, my everything. In your eyes I have found a home. In your heart I have found my love. In your soul I have found my mate. With you I am whole, full, and alive. You make me laugh and you let me cry. You are my inspiration and my soul's fire. You free me to sing my own song. Without you I would be less of a person. You have held my heart within your hands since day one and have cherished and cared for it as I have for yours. You make me feel safe when everything is against us. I continue to be thankful for your understanding, your warmth, and your forgiveness. From this day forth I promise to be all that I can be, and handle whatever life has in store for us." Glinda finished her speech, nearly choking on the words as she saw Elphaba begin to cry.

The green woman let go of one of Glinda's hands to wipe away at a tear that was falling down her cheek. As soon as she got it she returned to holding lovingly onto Glinda's hands.

The two woman continued to smile at each other as the minister continued. "Do you Elphaba Thropp take Glinda Upland to be your wife? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon her your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." Elphaba stated as she squeezed Glinda's hands with every word she spoke.

"And do you Glinda Upland take Elphaba Thropp to be your wife? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon her your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her as long as you both shall live?" The minister turned his attention to Glinda.

The blonde glanced over quickly and saw her daughters staring intently at the two. She smiled to them before turning back to face Elphaba.

"I do." Glinda smiled as she too squeezed Elphaba's hands within her own.

"Do you have the rings?" The ministers asked Tahj who was standing next to the two women. They both turned their attention to their dearest friend.

"Yeah. Here they are." Tahj smiled as he pulled out two rings from his coat pocket. He then placed the rings in the minister's hands as he asked for them.

The minister went on blessing the two rings for a little while before turning back towards Elphaba.

"Elphaba, in placing this ring on Glinda's finger, repeat after me: Glinda, you are now consecrated to me as my wife from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed." The minister handed the ring over to the green woman.

Elphaba did as she was told and slowly slipped the platinum band upon Glinda's delicate finger. Once she had the ring on she brought the hand up to her mouth and kissed the new jewelry.

Glinda swooned as she felt Elphaba kiss her hand ever so tenderly.

The minister waited for this momentary display of affection to be over before continuing.

"Glinda, in placing this ring on Elphaba's finger, repeat after me: Elphaba you are now consecrated to me as my wife from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed."

Glinda did as she was told and placed a matching band on the green woman's finger. She stressed the last words 'I thee wed' with rubbing on the back of Elphaba's palm with her hand.

"You have pronounced yourselves partners if life but remember to always be each other's best friend. And so, by the power vested in me by the State officials of Oz, I now pronounce you Mrs. And Mrs. Thropp-Upland." The minister paused before he finished. "You may now kiss the bride."

Elphaba smiled as she leaned over and captured Glinda's lips within her own. It wasn't quite a chaste kiss, but it wasn't over the top either.

The blonde smiled into the kiss as she slightly dipped her tongue into her loves mouth. Nothing heavy, just enough for the other to know how much they meant to one another.

After a couple of seconds the newly married couple broke apart to a yell of cheers and congratulations. Tahj was standing closest with a bottle of champagne and immediately popped the cork off when the two broke apart. The bubbly concoction was a little too bubbly as it sprayed all over the newlyweds.

"Oops." Tahj blushed slightly as the liquid hit the couple.

Glinda and Elphaba only laughed as they walked hand in hand down the aisle. Ella, Rowena, and Kiora were not far behind.

Whatever they did now they did as a family.

**XXX**

Later that night after the reception was over and the kids were put to bed Glinda started packing for their trip to the lake. She was beyond exhausted from the hectic day the two lovebirds had had, but not enough to put off packing.

"So how does it feel to be Mrs. Thropp-Upland?" The green woman smiled as she walked up behind Glinda and wrapped her arms around her waist. She laid her head down on the blonde's shoulder as she began to sway slightly. The music from before was still fresh in her head.

Glinda smiled as she felt her wife wrap her arms around her. The blonde dropped the shirt she had been holding to wrap her own arms around Elphaba's.

"It feels good." Glinda smiled as she felt her love's front pressed against her back. The two had yet to consummate the marriage officially and so Glinda knew what was to come.

"Just good?" Elphaba teased as she brought her mouth up to playfully nip at her love's ear.

"Maybe a little more than just good." Glinda giggled as she was tickled by Elphaba's playfulness.

"A little?" Elphaba continued to tease as she moved her hands that were around Glinda's waist slightly higher.

"Mmm…it feels very good indeed." Glinda smiled as she closed her eyes to experience everything her wife was causing her to feel.

"Did I ever tell you how beautiful you looked in your dress?" The green woman continued to move a little higher up.

"I think you mentioned it a couple of times." Glinda giggled as she felt her wife continue to sway behind her. The two had danced so much at the receptions that she had thought that Elphaba would have been all danced out. Apparently not.

"Well you looked stunning." The green woman smiled as she flipped her love over so they were now face to face. "May I have this dance?" The green woman backed up and extended her hand out for her lover to take.

"But there's no music." Glinda teased.

"We don't need music. I can sing for us." Elphaba continued to smile as Glinda accepted her hand. She slowly led her away from the bed and into the middle of the room.

"I love you Glinda Thropp-Upland." Elphaba smiled as she used Glinda's new name. She began to slow dance with her love.

"And I love you Elphaba Thropp-Upland." Glinda smiled as she leaned her head against Elphaba's chest.

The two continued to slow dance for a while before moving onto other newlywed activities.

Whatever life had in store for them, the two of them would face it together. Nothing could tear apart the love they felt for one another.

Nothing.

**A/N: The surprise is there will be a sequel. Yay! But I have to warn you it won't be for a while…probably two months away…I don't know for sure. I want to finish my other story 'I'll be Love's Suicide' but I'm also starting back to school in a week. We'll see! But THANKS FOR READING AND REVIEWING!!**


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